Closing schools a tough choice?

This has been eating away at me for weeks...later tonight, the Seattle School Board will vote, most likely in favor, to close 5 schools in the district. It's no surprise that the decision, and what passes for the process leading to the decision, has caused quite a bit of angst (and anger) among many in the community. I hesitated to put my thoughts out into the public, because frankly I wanted to see how it played out. There have been accusations in the community and online media about racism, favoritism, secret deals, etc etc. And as a former candidate for School Board, I didn't want to be perceived as disrespectful towards the current members or the Superintendent and other district leaders. They are ordinary people being asked, at times, to do some extraordinary things, and they do attempt to do those things hopefully to the very best of their abilities. So in that vein, this is not meant to call out any particular individual over his or her decision, and yes, I do believe the community should cut them a little slack. Just a little. Because I also think we should stop calling this a "tough decision". From a PR perspective, maybe.

If you look at it from a business perspective, closing the schools is NOT a tough decision. The district estimates that closing these 5 schools will save $16.2 million (or maybe it's $12.6, the Seattle Times reports two figures here and here) over the next 5 years...in the face of a $25 million (and growing) ANNUAL budget deficit. Okay, so the calendars and numbers don't necessarily match, but the district is looking for other ways to save, too, such as asking my organization to help find volunteers to help with moving the furniture, etc, in this whole process to avoid paying an outside contractor...Anyway, if school A continues to bleed money each year--more money than it brings into the district based on enrollment--then of course it makes sense to close it. Without any working knowledge beyond balancing my own checkbook, I could have come to that conclusion myself.

What I have a problem with is that I get the sense that our leadership (be it the board itself, district leaders, local civic leaders or legislators) doesn't seem at all interested in taking up the topics of how we ended up in this situation (AGAIN) in the first place and, even more importantly, what should we start doing RIGHT NOW to not end up back here in 3 or 5 years talking about closing even more schools? These are tough questions. These are tough decisions. And yes, they would require work, attention and sacrifice by everyone. I am 100% willing to knock on doors and try to convince people that we all need to pay attention to our fractured public education system. But someone with the ability to make decisions needs to take on that mantle of conversation catalyst.

I didn't have all the answers when I ran for the board two years ago, and I'm no closer to having them now. And this is not meant in any way to serve notice that I intend to run again, because I do not.

However, I do think part of the answer might lie in revamping the way that public funding is allocated to schools. Right now, the schools that need the resources the most are the ones that continue to lose resources due to declining enrollment. Communities that tend to be at highest risk of losing a school in this economic climate are the exact communities that can't afford to lose that school. These schools also tend to be the ones that don't typically have a PTSA that can raise tens of thousands of dollars at a fundraiser to fill budget gaps or support innovative learning opportunities for students at that school. Shuttering schools in the central and southern parts of the district in order to fill slots and support the "need" to build and open new schools in the north end is not part of the answer. We should stop using a funding system that inherently perpetuates the "uneven school quality" that we all profess to find distasteful at best and institutionally racist at worst.

If we really wanted to talk about tough choices, tough decisions, sacrifice, and saving public education, maybe we should each ask ourselves some tough questions: How much is too much to pay to educate a child? Even if that child is not mine, or does not live in my neighborhood, and does not attend my neighborhood school (aka, does not 'bring the $' attached with being enrolled in my neighborhood school under the current funding scheme)? How much is too much, if it potentially means it could keep that child out of prison, or the emergency room, or a homeless shelter or food bank in 10 years?

Do we really want a public education system that meets and serves the needs of every student, or just the ones that were blessed enough to be born who they were where they were? Do we really want a system where poor-performing teachers can be let go, while simultaneously rewarding excellence in teaching with higher salaries year in and year out? Do we want a system where a parent can place their child in a neighborhood school in a lower-income area, and be assured that their child will have the same access to excellent educational opportunities as a child in a more affluent area of the district? If that's the system we want, then how much will it cost? My guess is it will be pretty expensive. Are we willing to pay for it? Someone tell me: How much is too much to pay to educate a child?

Going to NOLA soon?

If so, check out this article in the Seattle Times. It's a great reason to get off of Bourbon Street and see places a little less touristy. The best part (and how I think Seattle is missing out):

"One of the more unusual may be Checkpoint Charlie's at 501 Esplanade Ave, at Decatur, on the edge of the Quarter. It's your basic corner dump-of-a-bar but with a few unusual touches: There's live blues or rock from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m. most days, and there's no cover charge. It's also open (and serving bar food) 24 hours a day.
Also here: the ultimate neighborhood touch — there's a laundromat along the back wall."

Here's another piece of the "New Racial Order" series from the Birmingham Weekly, including an interesting take on what Obama can do to reach out to southerners from SC to Texas who voted so emphatically against him in on Election Day.

What are we doing? REALLY?

This morning I was on a full bus in Seattle. A passenger boarded, using crutches. In every other city or town I've ever ridden public transportation, several people would have been falling over themselves offering their seat. Not in Seattle. He had to ask for someone to offer their seat...I am not shitting you, people. And the first person to move was the oldest person seating up there. At least four of the younger folks seated didn't even look up from their books or blackberries! Now, one of the younger gentlemen did finally give up his seat, so that both the injured rider and the older woman could sit down. But, really...

Many of us are still exuberant about what happened on November 4th, and we might even be patting ourselves on the back for what "we" accomplished. And I'd be willing to bet that some of them were sitting at the front of my bus this morning. But I've got news for everyone. The "change" that we were all looking for on Election Day won't happen if we (you, me, and the people on either side of you) don't change. We are entitled to NOTHING as a result of what happened on November 4th. If we don't change, how are the next 4 years really going to be any different? What did we really 'win' if we just plug ourselves back into our iPods and ignore everyone around us?

As for me, I think I'll start sitting at the front of the bus. At least then I can be sure that a seat will be available for someone who might need it more than me.

Who's hurt most by this crisis?

For anyone who thought I was just being dramatic in my post about not wanting the media or politicians (including our President-elect) to make this financial crisis about the plight of the middle class, here's an article from Sunday's NYT.

The election of Barack Obama

:-)

This expression has been on my face for the past 37 hours. I'll let others who are better at historical punditry explain how significant this is. I just want to comment on the last portion of Barack's speech in Chicago on Tuesday night. It's difficult at times to imagine what is possible, and imagine whether or not we can really change as a country and as a people. Even for those of us who WANT that change, it's difficult. Maybe even more so. But the story of Ann Nixon Cooper and others like her give me pause. As he described all of the things that she had seen in her life, it became clear to me that change does happen, we can make progress in the face of extreme adversity. Even if we don't get there in my lifetime, the promise of this wonderful experiment we call America is what makes it worth continuing to struggle and fight for. I will never forget Tuesday night. I got to share it with some incredible people, and we will have that for the rest of our lives. Even my 6-year old niece was excited.

I still have that grin on my face. But it's time to get to work. And I'm not just talking about what I do for a paycheck.

"That's how we do it in the South"

Okay...there are plenty of things that they "do" in the South that make my blood hot enough to boil peanuts. It is the South, after all, and two things they love dearly are their churches and their politics, neither of which I am particularly in tune with.

But the individual who made the comment in this particular instance was referring to something that I've mentioned a couple of times before--the simple act of acknowledging someone else. It typically includes the elements of (1) eye contact, (2) a slight movement of the head, (3) what could pass as a toothy-grin in Seattle (we've raised avoiding # 1 to an art form, so don't even bother about getting us to smile), and, especially in the smaller communities, (4) some version of the traditional greeting "hello". It happens in stores, restaurants, on the street, even at stoplights.

After living this for two full weeks, I noticed that instead of being disconcerted about this sudden influx of existential recognition on the part of 'strangers', I actually found it totally refreshing. So much so that 67+ hours since my return to Seattle, I'm discovering my answer to the question 'what did you like best about your trip?' "People" is my response. Don't get me wrong. I love Seattle. I don't think I've ever lived anywhere else that had such a sense of the importance of civic engagement. But sometimes, I think we lose the ability to see one another. My favorites are the ones who jam their iPods into their ears and start pecking away on their Blackberries on the bus or walking on the street (at 7 AM...REALLY??). Why don't you just write "eat shit and die" on your forehead and call it good, save yourself some cash in this harsh economic climate, and cut into some of that corporate greed you keep self-righteously bitching about?...

But I digress. I find myself, since returning, surrounded by what passes for "normal" in this Seattle life. And I also am finding that, while I can accept most of it as 'livable, if not dysfunctional, insanity', I can't continue to believe that it's normal to not see people. Or, if you do see them, to see them as something in your way, barely worth an "excuse me" in the tone of "get out my way." Heck, even in Manhattan people look at each other on the street. Although that may actually lead to an altercation, so maybe that's not the best example. In Birmingham (I'll call it a city), folks at the coffee shop look up from their laptops and give you the nod...don't fool yourself, you know exactly what I mean.

So I could simply slip back into that "normalcy" again, could just pretend that the person sitting next to me on the bus doesn't actually need help with their bags, could go on believing that it's best for me to just look down or straight ahead, and hope that someone else will smile, or help, or say "hello", so that I know it's okay to do the same. But that's not how we do it in the South. :-)

One of the themes of this election season has been 'how we can, how we should, be better than what we are.' I'm going to try to start seeing people again. I know it's not going to solve the energy crisis or increase my desire to open my retirement plan statements every quarter. But...ehh. Whatevs.

I'll occasionally post random pieces about the South on this blog, starting with the stuff below. Comments are always welcome. I'd like to keep it going just because I do plan to return to the South, and use this as a forum and travel log. This trip was about Civil War and civil rights history, and the Space Center (and volunteering, of course!). Next time, I'm thinking a 'musical history of the South'. I also got to eat at some great BBQ places this trip, and might try to do an actual 'great holes-in-the-wall bbq joints' listing next time. Although I need to devise an exercise regimen for that, too, so my arteries don't explode.

For your continued entertainment, a series on Alabama Racial Politics being run in the Birmingham Weekly (like the Seattle Weekly):

http://www.bhamweekly.com/article.php?article_id=001032

Onward!