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More than 50 city leaders and school children marched through downtown Wilmington Monday to the Carvel State Building, calling for a restructured school system that gives the city local control. One of the rally's organizers, New Castle County Councilman Jea Street - who also heads the Delaware Black Caucus - spoke to the Community News about the groups' concerns.
Q) What was the impetus for Monday's rally?
A) We've gone everywhere there is to go [to fight the Neighborhood Schools and Charter Schools acts]. We've gone to the attorney general to get an opinion, but our request was denied. Last year we met with the governor and secretary about specific problems...The problem is serious and it's falling on deaf ears. It seems the schools only respond to confrontation or litigation and right now we're in the confrontation stage.
Q) What do you believe is the problem?
A) The big picture is the Neighborhood Schools Act, the Charter School Act and the Choice School Act and the establishment of segregated high-property value schools with no additional resources for the city.
The 2000 Neighborhood School plan clearly called for additional resources and for the city to be split into two school districts instead of the [current] four, but nothing has happened with any of that.
Q) How do you believe the city schools should be organized?
A) What we asked for is what we agreed to in 2000, which is that the city is divided between Red Clay in Brandywine. Do what you agreed to. In addition to that, we're asking for the city schools to have some oversight from the mayor and city council and that would be something consistent with the kind of control they have with the housing authority when it comes to board appointments. The city has to have some authority and some responsibility when it comes to educating its own children. The city doesn't have neighborhood schools and it damn sure doesn't have local control.
Q) Why are additional resources needed?
A) The outcome is crystal clear. The 10th grade minority students across the board, 70-90 percent in the areas of math, science, reading, writing and social studies did not meet the standard, and then you've got an unprecedented number of suspensions. It's a major problem...We need opportunities for extended school years, extended days, extended weeks. We need support centers, reading specialists, math specialists, early childhood education, all-day kindergarten, social and mental health experts. There are dribbles and drabs in some schools, but as far as it happening in all schools and all districts, it's not happening because it costs money.
More than 50 city leaders and school children marched through downtown Wilmington Monday to the Carvel State Building, calling for a restructured school system that gives the city local control. One of the rally's organizers, New Castle County Councilman Jea Street - who also heads the Delaware Black Caucus - spoke to the Community News about the groups' concerns.
Q) What was the impetus for Monday's rally?
A) We've gone everywhere there is to go [to fight the Neighborhood Schools and Charter Schools acts]. We've gone to the attorney general to get an opinion, but our request was denied. Last year we met with the governor and secretary about specific problems...The problem is serious and it's falling on deaf ears. It seems the schools only respond to confrontation or litigation and right now we're in the confrontation stage.
Q) What do you believe is the problem?
A) The big picture is the Neighborhood Schools Act, the Charter School Act and the Choice School Act and the establishment of segregated high-property value schools with no additional resources for the city.
The 2000 Neighborhood School plan clearly called for additional resources and for the city to be split into two school districts instead of the [current] four, but nothing has happened with any of that.
Q) How do you believe the city schools should be organized?
A) What we asked for is what we agreed to in 2000, which is that the city is divided between Red Clay in Brandywine. Do what you agreed to. In addition to that, we're asking for the city schools to have some oversight from the mayor and city council and that would be something consistent with the kind of control they have with the housing authority when it comes to board appointments. The city has to have some authority and some responsibility when it comes to educating its own children. The city doesn't have neighborhood schools and it damn sure doesn't have local control.
Q) Why are additional resources needed?
A) The outcome is crystal clear. The 10th grade minority students across the board, 70-90 percent in the areas of math, science, reading, writing and social studies did not meet the standard, and then you've got an unprecedented number of suspensions. It's a major problem...We need opportunities for extended school years, extended days, extended weeks. We need support centers, reading specialists, math specialists, early childhood education, all-day kindergarten, social and mental health experts. There are dribbles and drabs in some schools, but as far as it happening in all schools and all districts, it's not happening because it costs money.
Q) How did you become so passionate about education?
A) It's a combination of the way I was raised and what happened in my household and unfortunately the fact that I was not a model child and it took a whole lot of people with compassion to make sure I could go to college and graduate. They saw things I didn't see in myself at the time, and there's an obligation to give that back. It's just what I believe in when it comes to making a difference in the destiny of kids. It's what I do. I can't explain it any other way.
