What to do about Wilkinsburg - Part 2?

Violence in School, Low Expectations, No Opportunity, No Incentives...  Imagine students protesting at a school because they want to learn, they want to succeed.  And no one from administration will talk to them.  Listen to what they are asking for.  They just want a chance. There are options to give them a chance.  But it means a radical change to our educational program.

There are many schools across the country - public, public charter, private, parochial - that succeed in poverty stricken, down and out neighborhoods.  You can visit the Schools That Can website and find over 100 schools in America that achieve great things in towns like Wilkinsburg, with poor, needy youth. In Pittsburgh, exemplary schools that successfully work with very needy populations include Propel Schools in McKeesport, Turtle Creek, Homestead, Montour, The Neighborhood Academy, Pittsburgh Urban Christian School, City Charter High School, Manchester Academic Charter School, the Urban League Charter School and a few Pittsburgh Public Schools like Fulton or Dilworth or Westwood.

So what do I suggest we do?

"Troubled finances have led the state Department of Education to put the Wilkinsburg and Aliquippa school districts on a financial watch list.

Being on the list enables the department to offer school districts technical assistance to correct their financial problems, said Tim Eller, spokesman for the state agency.  The districts don't have to accept the help, Eller said.

The system is set up to prevent districts from being placed in financial recovery, which can force them into receivership if they don't make progress with state-appointed chief recovery officers after up to a year he said." (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/3668792-74/financial-state-district).  

First, see if you have five votes on the School Board who are willing to consider a completely different delivery system for educating Wilkinsburg students.   If so, move forward.  

Second, have the school board and a group of parents go to the Pennsylvania Department of Education and petition them to put the District into financial recovery, force the District into receivership and appoint a chief recovery officer.  Once the district is in receivership there are many things that can be done.

Option 1: Merger Model

1. Merge the Wilkinsburg School District with the Pittsburgh Public Schools.   Wilkinsburg has already contracted with Pittsburgh for Fire Protection and Garbage Collection.  
2. Allow Wilkinsburg students to attend any of the District magnet schools as well as the feeder pattern schools which would probably be Westinghouse and Allderdice High Schools.  

Option 2: Charter School Model

1. Close the Wilkinsburg schools.  
2. Invite a local successful charter school program such as Propel Schools (K-8) and City Charter High School (9-12) to open in the district.  
3. Or invite a national successful non-profit charter program an opportunity to take over a small borough and show that they can turn it around.    

Option 3: Voucher Model

1. Close the Wilkinsburg schools.  
2. Take the current budget and provide students with tuition payments to attend another district's schools.  Students could go to Pittsburgh Public Schools, Penn Hills, Woodland Hills, St. James Catholic School, Central Catholic High School, any number of Charter Schools or private schools such as Pittsburgh Urban Christian School, Ellis School or Winchester Thurston.  

Any of these three models would accomplish two very important goals.  First, our children would be given hope for the first time in 35 years.  They could choose a school that provides quality education for all of its students.  Second, this would make our borough a place where people would want to live and raise their children.  Property taxes would go down, quality of education would go up and many more children would have a future.    

I can hear my education brethren already.  Have you lost your mind?   Are you trying to destroy the union?  Are you simply trying to privatize education?  No, No and No.  I'm just trying to provide the children of Wilkinsburg with quality schools.  I'm tired of talking about the needs of the adults.  I'm tired of having philosophical/political discussions about Democrats, Republicans, labor unions, superintendents, school boards, capitalism, socialism, the private sector, the public sector.  And I'm tired of talking to administrators and staff who don't live in the borough, whose primary concern is their paycheck.  When do we get to focus purely on poverty, education and empowering our children?  This tiny little borough with its great location, great housing stock and $28 million school budget provides the worst education in the state.  

Do you really believe the solution to the problem is more money, traditional schools and trusting in the current leadership and staff?  Charters didn't put them where they are.  And neither did the state.  What occurred in Wilkinsburg had more to do with middle class flight, Section 8 housing and an education enterprise that didn't have a clue how to deal with the changing times.  It's 2014, and all the students want is a quality education, safe schools and opportunities for the future. It's not too much to ask.