JaBbA's Hut

I attended, and spoke at, the Cleveland Hts-University Hts school board meeting last night. If you live in this area, I'll actually be on local cable access TV soon!

The issue was that the board has to close an elementary school, and we are trying to save our local school. It happens that our local school has the best academic performance, but is top of the cutting block because of some odd intra-district boundaries. Our argument is that you don't close the only school that is gaining attendance because of it's academic performance. We'll see if the board comes around.

Anyway, I sent the following email to as many members of the board as I could:

Dear Board Members:

Mr. Phillips stated last night that people in Cleveland heights send their children to private schools for only 3 reasons - Religion, Tradition and Racism.

I know many parents who have moved either their families (to Solon, Orange, pepper pike) or their children (To Beaumont, Laurel, Hawken, etc) for 2 perceived reasons: School failure academically, and school discipline problems.

Many of these families lived on my street when their children were small. NONE of them ever bothered to actually set foot in our schools, but it was NOT tradition or religion that drove their decision. Whether racism was a factor is more difficult to determine, but they didn't even bother to set foot in the schools - they had "heard" that the schools were failing and would be in academic watch, or they had "heard" that there were discipline problems in the classrooms. Add to that one family that got so disgusted with the problems with the board and the superintendents that they wouldn't even consider CHUH schools.

So denying that there is a problem of perception in this community by claiming that the factors that drive a private school decision are out of the control of the school district is a clear case of ducking the issue. Academic performance, which is unfortunately drive by the federally mandated test scores, is absolutely an issue driving people away from our schools.

If our district was Excellent across the board, don't you think people would be asking to come to our schools????

On another issue, Mr. Phillips made it very clear by his body language and demeanor last night during the presentations that he has no interest in what the citizens of this district have to say. While every other board member paid attention to the speakers, Mr. Phillips spent the entire time reading some papers and making notes, never once looking up. It struck me so strongly that I watched his behavior during every presentation.

Mr. Phillips, I'm sorry to say I voted for you. Your rudeness to the people who were counting on you is an embarrassment to our city.

Justin Alcorn

I'll be sending a letter to the editor of our local weekly this evening. It'll be a little shorter than this

UPDATE Mr. Phillips replied to me. He says he was paying attention and was reviewing the scenarios. Maybe, but I have been told by other people that they have felt that he has done things during these meetings such as turn his back to the speaker, etc. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt on that. But he's still ducking the issue of academic performance. It DOES impact whether we can attract people to our schools.