Mike wonders what President Obama's call for a new "era of responsibility" will mean for education, but I'm more curious about the impact of his call for Americans to "set aside childish things." As any parent will tell you, "childish" behavior is marked by self-centeredness and a singular focus on the id. That type of behavior, by grown men and women, regularly hampers education in the Buckeye State and will make tough here Obama's aim of "transform(ing) our schools."
In Cleveland, a district budget deficit means teacher layoffs. Because of last-hired, first-fired rules, up to 30 percent of the teachers recruited to the district's ten single-gender and specialty academies could lose their jobs. These "new and innovative schools" were made possible by millions of dollars of local philanthropy and are at the heart of the district's effort to build a portfolio of high quality schools of choice. Still, union president David Quolke offers no apologies for protecting senior teachers.
To paraphrase President Obama, Quolke, the teachers union, and district administrators need to grow up. The Cleveland Plain-Dealer editorial board agrees:
...Quolke ought to consider the students and how layoffs would disrupt the education of those in the most promising schools-and the most troubled.When hidebound tradition flies in the face of the best interests of 50,000 students, adults are obligated to make tough sacrifices.
There is no better time to start than now.
The Dayton Public Schools faced a similar dilemma after its levy defeat in May 2007. The district's response then was mixed. On one hand, Dayton was forced to fire its "teacher of the year." On the other hand, its Early College High School was preserved and transformed into an independent charter school.
Dayton once again risks putting the interests of adults ahead of students. The school board and Interim Superintendent Kurt Stanic want to raze the former Julienne Catholic High School and build a new school on the site. This move would save $6 million versus renovating the current school and would free up the money to build classrooms for special needs students. But the city's Plan Board has recommended that the building be designated "historic." If the Dayton City Commission agrees, then the district will have to put the school on the market for two years before demolishing it, and then can only tear it down upon proving that saving the building creates a financial hardship.
Julienne High School is, admittedly, a lovely building set on a beautiful, park-like parcel of land, but paying homage to the nostalgia of Julienne's alumnae and neighbors won't do a bit of good toward helping Dayton's 15,000 students succeed academically.
