RECENT COMMENTS
a last round of politicking
Bellevue Elementary and the Church Hill Association hosted a sparsely attended forum for the 7th District School Board candidates this evening. A more well-attended forum that included school board, council, and mayoral candidates took place immediately following at the Powatan Community Center in Fulton.
The 3 school board candidates took questions form the crowd of 25 or so, though nothing new or revelatory came out from either Don Coleman or Torey Edmonds. While Ronald Bond also took questions, it was at times difficult to ascertain his positions. I had recorded this forum, but my phone ate the file in the transfer; a shame, as you really need to hear Mr.Bond speak for yourself.
The 7th district candidates got much less time in Fulton. The school board candidates each gave a short statment but were not given time for questions. Ms.McQuinn was not present due to other pressing issues, but challenger Clarence Keney was there to give a statement.
> You can listen to Mr.Kenney’s statement here.
The mayoral candidates were up next, though I left fairly early into that.
It blows my mind that as of this post 4% of the respondents to the school board rep poll to the left have selected Bond. When John says it was difficult to ascertain his positions, he is being incredibly generous. My impression was more along the lines of “…it was at times difficult to tell if Mr. Bond was aware of his surroundings or why he was there.”
The other two school board candidates seemed to handle the forum equally well. Here’s a gross oversimplification: Mr. Coleman has the heart and the passion while Ms. Edmonds has the brain and the knowledge.
It’s only two votes, the population sample is too small to really say much.
I would add that Coleman is idealistic about neighbors coming together and using their zoned schools while Edmonds is realistic in that we continue to need school choice.
Ideally, and I think both would agree, bring choice schools into the eastend. I believe we could have this at the elementary level starting tomorrow if Church Hill’s middle classes and active parents decided to send their children to their zoned school. Our elementary schools are already on the brink of going beyond just high SOL scores and our principals are welcoming parent input and help.
The middle schools and high schools need much more than accreditation and some parents pitching in….Look at the successful high schools in Richmond – each one is a magnet or model school of some kind with a smaller population of students.
Here are some differences between Edmonds and Coleman broken down:
Edmonds is critical of the constant multiple choice testing, lack of an arts and hands on curriculum, and is willing to strike at the heart of RPS system’s failed policies and shabby infrastructure whereas Coleman is recruiting at the bottom -getting young adults active in the neighborhood schools and partnering schools with eachother and organizations.
Edmonds knows what a good education looks like from her experience of having children and grandchildren in schools ranging from the poor eastend to the wealthy westend to the best private schools in the state. Coleman knows what a unified group on a mission can accomplish and if you look at his followers, you’ll see a economic and racial mix that should be mirrored in our schools.
Edmonds expertise and Coleman’s activism are sorely needed in the 7th district, so the question is which candidate needs to be on School Board to accomplish their stated goals?
Carol Wolf had posted the duties and powers of School Board members on Hills and Heights. This is important to review before casting a vote. Let’s hope we get a 7th district rep that performs his or her duties. Eastend has been forgotten for too long.
http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+coh+22.1-79+405382
Here is what the Virginia Code sets forth as the duties of School Board and School Board members.
§ 22.1-79. Powers and duties.
A school board shall:
1. See that the school laws are properly explained, enforced and observed;
2. Secure, by visitation or otherwise, as full information as possible about the conduct of the public schools in the school division and take care that they are conducted according to law and with the utmost efficiency;
3. Care for, manage and control the property of the school division and provide for the erecting, furnishing, equipping, and noninstructional operating of necessary school buildings and appurtenances and the maintenance thereof by purchase, lease, or other contracts;
4. Provide for the consolidation of schools or redistricting of school boundaries or adopt pupil assignment plans whenever such procedure will contribute to the efficiency of the school division;
5. Insofar as not inconsistent with state statutes and regulations of the Board of Education, operate and maintain the public schools in the school division and determine the length of the school term, the studies to be pursued, the methods of teaching and the government to be employed in the schools;
6. In instances in which no grievance procedure has been adopted prior to January 1, 1991, establish and administer by July 1, 1992, a grievance procedure for all school board employees, except the division superintendent and those employees covered under the provisions of Article 2 (§ 22.1-293 et seq.) and Article 3 (§ 22.1-306 et seq.) of Chapter 15 of this title, who have completed such probationary period as may be required by the school board, not to exceed 18 months. The grievance procedure shall afford a timely and fair method of the resolution of disputes arising between the school board and such employees regarding dismissal, suspension, or other disciplinary actions and shall be consistent with the provisions of the Board of Education’s procedures for adjusting grievances except that there shall be no right to a hearing before a fact-finding panel;
7. Perform such other duties as shall be prescribed by the Board of Education or as are imposed by law;
8. Obtain public comment through a public hearing not less than 10 days after reasonable notice to the public in a newspaper of general circulation in the school division prior to providing (i) for the consolidation of schools; (ii) the transfer from the public school system of the administration of all instructional services for any public school classroom or all noninstructional services in the school division pursuant to a contract with any private entity or organization; or (iii) in school divisions having 15,000 pupils or more in average daily membership, for redistricting of school boundaries or adopting any pupil assignment plan affecting the assignment of 15 percent or more of the pupils in average daily membership in the affected school. Such public hearing may be held at the same time and place as the meeting of the school board at which the proposed action is taken if the public hearing is held before the action is taken. If a public hearing has been held prior to the effective date of this provision on a proposed consolidation, redistricting or pupil assignment plan which is to be implemented after the effective date of this provision, an additional public hearing shall not be required;
9. (Expires July 1, 2010) At least annually, survey the school division to identify critical shortages of teachers and administrative personnel by subject matter, and report such critical shortages to the Superintendent of Public Instruction and to the Virginia Retirement System; however, the school board may request the division superintendent to conduct such survey and submit such report to the school board, the Superintendent, and the Virginia Retirement System; and
10. Ensure that the public schools within the school division are registered with the Department of State Police to receive from the State Police electronic notice of the registration or reregistration of any sex offender within that school division pursuant to § 9.1-914.
(Code 1950, §§ 22-72, 22-97; 1954, cc. 289, 291; 1956, Ex. Sess., c. 60; 1959, Ex. Sess., c. 79, § 1; 1966, c. 691; 1968, c. 501; 1970, c. 71; 1971, Ex. Sess., c. 161; 1972, c. 511; 1975, cc. 308, 328; 1980, c. 559; 1985, c. 8; 1987, c. 402; 1991, cc. 553, 668; 1994, c. 596; 1996, cc. 485, 790, 798; 1997, c. 382; 2004, c. 563; 2006, cc. 857, 914.)
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Legislative Information System
Gray, I agree with you that the eastend has been forgotten for too long. I do not agree, however, that Don Coleman’s community building efforts somehow imply that he is weak on “the issues”. I would encourage you to talk to Don personally about school choice. While he has one daughter who went to Open High and the other who is president at MLK, he is encouraged by and has worked with both private and public solutions to the educational needs of the region. No one can be happy with a 50% dropout rate or the lack of control that we see at Armstrong.
While it may seem respectable that Emonds has strong opinions about testing and arts education, the reality is that the new Superintendant is going to set the tone and the vision for RPS. I think Coleman’s approach is more reasonable because he knows that change requires activisim from all corners of the 7th district. New regulation in the schools may temporarily help at Armstrong but the reality is that the masses of children whose emotional, spiritual and educational needs are not being met in their current environment will find a way to act out again.
Right now, we need leaders who will inspire others in the city to follow their example. My wife and I hope to be able to send our 15 month old son to Chimborazo and this is one reason that we both volunteer there with the Micah Initiative now.
Matt, On different occasions I have sat down with both Edmonds and Coleman at Captain Buzzy’s and I think both are great and I wish we could roll them up into one. I don’t find Coleman weak at all. Have you sat down with Torey Edmonds?
My children both attend/have attended eastend schools and I am currently working on a grass roots effort at Bellevue in building a PTA and getting neighbors involved. I went to RPS and my children have for four years.
A little note: The Superintendent might set the tone but it is the School Board that hires and fires him/her.
Is the Micah Initiative involved with Bellevue? What all do they do?
Again, Matt, I like both candidates and no matter which one wins I’m hoping both will stay active in the eastend schools and I look forward to working with either of them.