Posted on January 3 , 2009

Gayle McLaughlin: Unity is the Way Forward for Saving our Schools

By Gayle McLaughlin

IN RECENT WEEKS I have received many comments from Richmond residents about the possibility of school closures in our city. I have heard concerns about certain individual schools in particular, as well as suggestions for all of our schools.

More than anything, Richmond residents have told me they want to avoid pitting one school against another in making closure decisions, and instead work together to find a way to keep all schools open.

Longtime community leaders and activists who live in South Richmond are concerned that students who walk to Kennedy High School may end up dropping out if they are moved to a more distant campus, or that students will fear for their safety if required to cross certain neighborhood lines to attend another school.

In addition, there are lingering hard feelings in the neighborhood that so little of the bond money is being used to upgrade Kennedy High School facilities.

Kennedy High recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, and distinguished alumni have repeatedly expressed to me the importance of keeping their beloved high school alive and well for future generations.

Teachers, parents and students from many schools have stressed that having local, walkable neighborhood schools is critical to the successful achievement of students.

The more challenges parents face with transportation, the more difficult it is to meet children's academic needs.

While I appreciate the dire straits the district is in and the need to make tough decisions, I join Richmond residents and others throughout the district in asking the School Board to look for more creative and less damaging solutions that could save all our school from closure. Here are some of the ideas my constituents have shared with me:

To bring in significant one-time revenue, the district could sell other properties it owns that are not school sites.

The district could substantially reduce operating expenses on an ongoing basis by initiating a plan to solarize all schools in the district. A possible use for part of Richmond's increased revenue from Measure T, which the voters passed in November, could be to train and employ our youth to solarize our schools.

Maximizing recycling throughout the district and renegotiating contracts for waste management could also reduce operating expenses.

Many in the community have repeatedly asked School Board members to join them in taking strong leadership in promoting a vigorous advocacy campaign with the governor and state Legislature to put an end once and for all to the district's loan from 1991. As a result of hundreds of students, parents, teachers and community members marching to Sacramento in 2004, the loan payments were slightly lowered for a while, but at the same time, the loan was privatized. In other words, we are in the perverse situation in these dire times of having to pay money to banks that could be used for educating our children. Because of misdeeds that occurred before any of our students were born and which no one currently employed in the district had anything to do with, our children continue to be punished unfairly with crippling loan payments. This is unacceptable, and I would gladly join the community in doing whatever it takes to convince state leaders and banks that these loans must be forgiven to remove an unfair burden from West Contra Costa County youngsters.

These are but a few of the good ideas I've heard, and I'm sure there are many more out there. The community has been asked by the district to respond with very short notice to what we've been told is an inevitable necessity. Before a new school is built, a comprehensive environmental impact study is required, and the same should be required before any school is closed.

At its meeting Tuesday, the Richmond City Council will be discussing ways Richmond could participate in helping to save schools.

With regard to the district's "school closure committee," on Dec. 15, I received a packet from Superintendent Bruce Harter asking me, as mayor of Richmond, to make 10 appointments to a WCCUSD districtwide committee with a total of 279 members and submit the names by Dec. 19.

Given the extremely short turnaround time, I relied in some cases on strong recommendations by certain Richmond residents I know who are very involved in and knowledgeable about the school district and share my overall vision.

I chose appointees who, to my understanding, held the interests of Richmond, as well as the interest of the entire school district, in their view. Most, but not all, of my appointees are Richmond residents.

One resident has suggested, let's replace the "school closure committee" with a "school opening committee." Indeed, that is a committee we can all be part of. There is still a need for continued advocacy along with the throngs of parents, students, teachers and community members who have been speaking out already in a very visible and vocal way. Strong voices in large numbers at the School Board meeting (Wednesday) and at the public meetings of the school closure committee (Jan. 8-20) will definitely have an influence over any decisions that are ultimately made by the School Board. On Jan. 10 at 10 a.m. at Lovonya DeJean Middle School there will be a joint meeting of the School Board and elected officials from cities throughout the district. I urge everyone to get involved.

McLaughlin is mayor of Richmond.