As an unopposed candidate, I didn't get to answer the school board candidate questions asked by the Crusade for Voters last week, but I promised to answer them here.
What is the biggest challenge facing RPS? Poverty.
Not just the poverty that impacts many of the families and neighborhoods served by Richmond's schools, but a poverty of interest and involvement that spanned years and led to neglected infrastructure and a disconnect between the community and the schools. Community investment is clearly on the rise--just look at the exponential increase in business/faith/civic partnerships with the school system that have occured in the last 18-24 months--but it's not nearly where it needs to be. And, yes, the socioeconomic challenges of the majority of students play a major role in our schools. This is common in most urban centers, but as both the recent Economic Policy Institute and Education Equality Project reports show (see David Brooks' 6/13/08 NY Times article for background as well as the respective group websites) a successful urban system does take a comprehensive approach combining school reform with initiatives in areas like health care, early education, family support, and economic development.
What is my position on charter schools? Mixed, but hopeful.
Traditionally, I have seen the most successful and long-lasting progress in public education come through grass-roots involvement in existing schools. But, when that involvement is stagnant, I have begun to see how innovation can attract it. Charter programs can be laboratories for innovation; that's why I decided (or I should say voted since I'm certainly not the sole "decider")to let a very dedicated group bring their ideas and energy into the schools. Is it a perfect program? No, but there's no such thing at any school, anywhere. Are the circumstances surrounding the charter ideal? No--state law, school system policies, and limited experience with charters all made this first Richmond attempt difficult, and cumbersome. But, we've got to give lots of things a try if we want everyone involved in our schools, and we'll never learn how to innovate if we don't take the plunge once in awhile.
(I can't remember the wording of the last question, but it was something along the lines of) Why do I want to serve on the board--does power or prestige factor in? I haven't found the Richmond school board to offer much in the way of either, but it does have an attractive quality to it.
When we have a board meeting that starts at 4:30 and ends at 10:30, and I'm paying out of my pocket $7 for my boxed dinner and $10 an hour for a sitter, that free bottled water doesn't feel very prestigious. But that's okay, because something else definitely attracts me to the job. I've found a wealth of work to be done that doesn't make the headlines or even Street Talk. As anyone who serves on a corporate or nonprofit board knows, an organization has to get good at both the mundane and the splashy to be successful. Progress--even in the areas that few people see--is addictive, and I want to be part of creating more. And maybe it's because I have two personal stakes in RPS (a rising 6th and 8th grader) but trying to make their public education experience the welcoming, inclusive, and diverse learning community that I had is a big incentive to continuing to serve.
As I've told many people who ask how things are going on the school board, it's not always fun, but it's somehow always engaging.
