Few parents show up (1 PARENT EJECTED) to meet school superintendent candidates

Emphasis added...

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Subject: Few parents show up (1 PARENT EJECTED) to meet candidates Journals 9/15/08
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 10:41:33 EDT
From: SLPSBOARDNEWS@aol.com

*1 PARENT EJECTED*
*Few parents show up to meet superintendent candidates Lack of public involvement seen as issue for city schools*

By Shawn Clubb Monday, September 15, 2008 4:34 PM CDT

Shawn Clubb

photo/ City resident James C. Smith, left, waits as superintendent candidate Eric Becoats speaks with Cynthia Crawford, an in-school suspension monitor, at a reception Tuesday at Vashon High School.

The three final candidates for superintendent for the St. Louis Public Schools got a chance to meet the public Tuesday — and almost no one came.

Most of those who turned out at Vashon High School for the event were district employees — some of them wanting to get an early start in advocating for their jobs or programs. Others included three Special Administrative Board members, five of the seven elected school board members, at least two former school board members, school security officers, consultants from a firm hired to help find a new superintendent, reporters and news photographers.

And a handful of parents also attended.After the three candidates, Kelvin Adams, Eric Becoats and Donnie Evans spoke and were asked questions submitted by audience members, one parent, Andrew Wimmer, stood and began to ask a question. Moderator Carol Daniel asked him to come forward and then had security escort him from the room.

Wimmer said that treatment was exactly why he tried to speak and why he believes more parents don’t turn out to support the district at events.

“Few parents are still coming,” he said. “You know if they can’t say anything, they will just fade away.”

At a reception before the presentations, community members were given the opportunity to speak individually with the candidates.

Each candidate was later given 15 minutes to present how the district would be different in three years if he were chosen as superintendent. They were then asked questions submitted on cards by audience members.

Wimmer said it was ridiculous to have to write out questions before hearing the presentations. He said he came to hear the candidates and get a better idea of them than what was presented by the district in the form of brief biographies for each.

Among the questions submitted on the cards were inquiries about how each candidate would improve the relationship between the district and community.

Adams said the district needs to be transparent. Becoats called for transparency, plus monthly public meetings and an invitation for community members to give input.

“We are here to serve. We need to be a customer-driven organizations,” Becoats said.

Evans said every school needs a Parent Teacher Organization.

“Parents are the child’s first teacher,” he said. “We can learn a lot from our parents.”

While the district did include community members as part of its superintendent selection process, Wimmer said every parent shouldn’t have to show up to every meeting to be able to have a voice in the district.

Daniel had tried to encourage community members to be involved, noting more than once during the presentation that the auditorium was half empty.

The community cannot be empowered, if the district continues to have meetings that don’t allow the community to interact, Wimmer said.

“Democracy is a messy process. Before the state takeover we had 1,200 people at Harris-Stowe,” he said. “It was loud, but there was nothing out of control about that meeting.” *