Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Editorial: City schools, they are a-changin'
Roanoke's staff and students have adapted to many changes that are expected to make the system better. More and bigger changes are planned.
From the RoundTable blog
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Great expectations accompanied Rita Bishop upon her return to Roanoke last year. Those familiar with Bishop's former stint with city schools placed tremendous faith in her ability to right a listing system.
Not even a super superintendent can lift basement graduation rates, bridge shattered ties with weary teachers and gain accreditation at all failing schools in a single year or single-handedly.
But faith in Bishop wasn't misplaced or overly optimistic. Staff and students adjusted to a host of changes that rest on the most important premise that Bishop and the school board aren't going to shortchange classrooms.
School leaders tie decisions to whether they are in the students' best interest. Through the purchase of new textbooks and computers -- staples in education previously missing in many Roanoke schools -- and by raising teacher salaries to gain and retain qualified, experienced teachers, Bishop and board members proved they aren't simply mouthing worn clichés.
Overhauls of accounting and human resources also have given the system tighter control of finances and personnel, so that resources are used wisely and fairly.
That's just for starters. The schools are still a-changin'.
The board switched first-bell times so middle- and high-schoolers can arrive later and more rested, created an overage academy to keep at-risk kids in school, told athletes they must make passing grades and plans next to tackle disciplinary problems.
Not every program has been tested by time, not all schools have gained accreditation and not all change has been eagerly embraced. Most resisted was the repurposing of Forest Park from an elementary school to an overage academy.
Each program, though, shows promise. By Monday, 234 students had enrolled voluntarily in Forest Park, giving themselves a chance to complete their education and become success stories rather than add to the narrative of failures.
As dramatic as some changes have been -- affecting nearly all staff and students -- the largest change is yet to come. It will touch all residents and neighborhoods. The school board recently received data it commissioned that breaks down attendance patterns, discipline and testing data by school zones, and provides information on the capacity and amenities at each facility.
Board Chairman David Carson said the data will be presented in a series of community meetings over the next several months so the board can begin a dialogue about potential changes to attendance zones. The process will result in painful and controversial changes when particular buildings are slated for closure.
Roanokers need to keep two things in mind: With declining enrollment, the city can't afford to maintain all its school buildings nor, in the current configuration, can the system deliver equitable education to all students.
For needed change to come, the public should listen to the facts and not fall prey to political grandstanding that can overshadow reasoned dialogue.
