So I went to the Newark Public Schools open board meeting last night. It was an intertesting experience. Getting there was half the battle. Okay, I don't live all that far from Newark, about 15 minutes or so (less than 10 miles) to the north, in Bloomfield. I think. I'm directionally challenged in this state (no mountains for me to judge which way is east or west). But I rarely drive anywhere. I work in NYC and take mass transit 90% of the time, and my wife typically drives the other 10%. I basically only drive to get to my AA meetings, and they are all within a two mile radius of my house. So I drive (with myself behind the wheel) outside my immediate area maybe 6-10 times a year.
I had mapquested how to get to the meeting at Shabazz HS and had directions. Of course I decided not to follow them exactly. I knew where Bloomfield Ave was and knew how to get there, and planned to follow the directions from that point. Well, the route I took didn't allow me to make a left onto Bloomfield. And I did a typical Dr. MS thing. I said, I don't need to turn around, I know how to get back to Bloomfield Ave from where I am.
When will I learn? And that was a rhetorical question!!!
Next thing I knew I was in East Orange. Oops! No problem, I can cut over and be where I should be. Five minutes later I didn't know which way was up or down, let alone N, S, E or W! I kept seeing roads that sounded familiar and following them. Then I was in South Orange. Huh!? Ooooh, that road sounds familiar. Wait, where the heck is Irvington and why am I there?
Finally I saw signs saying "This way to downtown Newark" and stopped panicking. Of course I didn't follow the signs totally. I saw a couple roads that sounded right and followed them. What!? I'm back in Irvington!? Dang it! But finally I got where I was going. The meeting started at 6. I left home at 5:30. I got there at 6:45. Luckily I found a couple of my classmates to sit with. What have we learned from this? Don't let Dr. MS drive anywhere. Ever.
But luckily I didn't miss much of the meeting. Approving the minutes and the beginning of some budgetary stuff. The part I caught was the most exciting thing I've seen since the Iowa professional grass-growing championships. But then they had public commentary, and that made the whole thing worthwhile.
First off, I love people who are passionate about education and what they believe in. And there were several speakers who were certainly passionate about what they were saying. But most of them were not particularly good at arguing their points. Passion is wonderful, but I believe a logical, well-reasoned argument will do you more good than yelling and rousing the crowd will.
Of course I don't really believe the speakers really accomplished anything. I got the distinct impression that the board members were humoring the speakers and couldn't wait for the public comments to be done. The way they seemed to rush through the list of speakers (calling a name, waiting 5 seconds, then saying they were absent) and the patronizing smirks on thier faces at times did not lead me to believe they were taking the speakers concerns seriously at all. There were exceptions to this, one or two board members made comments or asked questions, so at least they seemed to be listening.
The most useful thing for me at the board meeting was hearing, from the students, staff and parents who spoke, what their concerns were about Newark schools. Facilities issues were big. Leaky roofs, mold, mice/bugs, lack of restroom supplies (that was a frequent one) were all topics that were brought up. Several parents commented on how they didn't feel informed by the board on what was going on with their childrens schools. A few people commented on an apparently very unpopular change in the districts free meals program. I don't know the details but several people were very angry about it. And the board is apparently suspending the changed program on 12/1 until further review.. And one teacher commented, rather eloquently, on her belief that teacher evaluations were being used punitively to punish teachers who were speaking out about problems in the district.
Overall the meeting was a good experience for me. I think I learned a lot about the situation I'm going to be going into. I will probably try and attend more of the board meetings in the future.
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3 comments:
The more I think about it though, aside from the tp/soap/paper towel issue, I think a lot of the physical problems are translatable to Alaskan schools. I remember many rodents running around my elementary school and the bug infestations in HS. Leaky roofs? Hmmm...more like collapsing under the snow roofs!
That meal program coupled with something I was listening to on the radio today has me thinking though...
Dr. Mad Scientist,
You think you're directionally challenged. I left MSU at 7:50 p.m trying to make it to the meeting because someone who went to the first meeting told me that the meeting he went to lasted till 11:00 p.m. I arrived at the the school at 8:42 p.m. Yes, people it took me almost an hour to get to Newark from Montclair. Instead of going south on Clinton Ave.; I went north on Clinton Ave. I found myself in Irvington and had to ask for direction even though I had the direction on paper via google map. I arrived at the school at 8:42 p.m, and learned that the meeting had ended at 8:00 p.m.
I also attended the meeting, and I thought that the most interesting part was when the public was allowed to voice their concerns to the board. While there was a lot of gusto, yelling, and even tears; I do believe that some of the speakers voiced their concerns in an effective, eye-opening manner to the board. Like the father whose daughter was sick from the black mold in Camden school who stated "Had this been a more affluent area, this would not even be an issue. This would be fixed already".
Statements like this showed me how keenly in touch a lot of the parents were with the issues affecting their lives and the lives of their children. These issues are not just the physical conditions of the school, but the politics of power and priviledge that dictate what things get taken care of by the board of education, and what things fall to the wayside. I think that riling up the crowd and being overly dramatic is not the most effective way to get something fixed, but to me, some of the ranting gave me a true sense of how frustrated and tired they were from fighting for things I consider basic human necessities, like soap and toilet paper. As a researcher and future Newark teacher, I think it is important to realize how vested these parents are in their childrens lives, as well as how frustrated they are in dealing with a system that continuously fails to meet and service their needs.
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