By Antonio D. French
Filed Friday, November 4 at 10:15 AM
November 4, 2005 -- St. Louis Public Schools Superintendent Creg Williams has only been on the job for seven months, but he told a room of more than 300 parents and community leaders last night that he feels like he's been beaten on by the system just like them.
"I have heard you," Williams told a crowded auditorium at Vashon High School Thursday evening. "You are preaching to the choir."
He said that he has been frustrated by what he sees as people using SLPS students like pawns. He took exception to the kind of reporting often seen in the local media on issues involving the city's young people.
"These issues are not new. They are not news," he said. He said that the constant tarnishing of the image of city youth is not good. "We are no longer going to tolerate that kind of treatment of our children," said Williams, pounding his fist in the air.
Williams also acknowledged the many long-standing failures of the district, saying "these problems are inherited and they are real." He said the problems facing students -- health issues like asthma and obesity, issues of nicotine addiction, poverty, and teen-pregnancy -- are not unique to students in St. Louis, and are being faced by students all over America.
Williams added that one of the main problems facing SLPS students is the quality of education being offered. "I'm the superintendent so it's tough to say that." He said that of the 1700 students that graduated last year, only 700 even took the ACT test. And of that number, only 150 scored at the national average, and many of them came from the same high school, Metro.
The superintendent outlined what he called "Part A" of a plan to turn around the district.
The first part of Williams' plan is to get administrators to spend less time in their downtown offices and more at schools. He said that administrators are now to start their days at a school, helping teachers and student get off to a good start. They can then report district headquarters. At the end of the day, they should again report to school to help teachers and parents.
Part two is to deal with security issues in schools. A much publicized fight last week at Vashon High School that led to the arrest of eight students has highlighted the need for attention to this issue.
Williams said he is creating a rapid response team, led by John Windom, executive director of SLPS Community Education, to deal with fighting and violence. The team of 40 - 50 staff and community members will be deployed to help defuse potential conflicts as they arise.
Williams also said that there may be a need to move around some security guards. "I am not going to have security playing with kids," he said to an applauding crowd.
He also called upon greater involvement of school personnel in this area. "I need my principles and teachers to step up," said Williams. He said that just like it is often two or three students that disrupt a class, it is often two or three teachers that are not doing all they can do to keep order and properly instruct and motivate students.
Parts three, four and five of Williams' plan is an effort to expand community and parental involvement. He said he wants to see much greater involvement in and by the Parent Teacher Organizations (PTO). He said he is also creating a "parent patrol" to allow parents to volunteer in the mornings, at lunchtime, and after school. Williams said that "parent patrol" jackets are already on order and that even parents whose children have already graduated are welcome to volunteer.
Lastly, Williams appealed to members of the community, who do not necessarily have children in the district, to get involved, especially if you have special skills. SLPS is looking to create a citywide Crisis Team made up of volunteer nurses, psychologists, and clergy members that would be available to counsel students following a traumatic event.
Williams told the crowded auditorium that many of these things do not represent increases in the district's budget. He said, "This is asking people to go beyond the call of duty."
2 Comments:
Creg Williams seems to be an expert at pretending to agree wholeheartedly with disgruntled SLPS parents and the community at large. At the school board meeting I recently attended, he pretended to be appalled at low test scores and reports of bad conditions at schools.
...but then he went on to push a budget full of dangerous, destructively arranged cutbacks.
To me, the whole "I know, I'm angry about it, too!" thing seems like he/Callow/whoever think that they can diffuse parent&community anger by initially agreeing with it and acting like it hurts them, too. Somehow, they think they can redirect our anger if they try to own it with those whole "I agree with you! I'm part of the group, too!" rhetoric.
Somehow, I'm not convinced that he's part of the solution.
6:53 PM, November 06, 2005
Actions speak louder than words...
Again, this is the Show Me state.
Do not be swayed by anything but evidence and action. Demand more proof.
7:13 AM, November 08, 2005
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