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| Where do we go from here? |
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| Opinion Headlines |
| Written by Barbara S. Allen |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 10:46 |
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Interim Superintendent Birmingham City Schools Dr. Ed LaMonte has a way of turning facts into fiction. He presented several misleading comments regarding the dropout rate of the Birmingham City Schools during his speech at the 24th annual Martin Luther King Unity Breakfast Jan. 18. Along with hundreds of others, I attended the breakfast expecting a keynote speech that would be uplifting and thought provoking. Instead LaMonte’s speech worked wonders to tear down a city and its school system with inaccurate information. As I sat there and listened to him quote statistics and those he considered experts on the Birmingham City Schools and conclude that we have all failed the children of Birmingham, I thought about the many dedicated teachers, principals, vice- principals, clerical workers, custodians, lunchroom workers and other employees we have in our system who work extremely hard to educate our boys and girls. I also thought about the thousands of dedicated parents who have invested, through their children, in the Birmingham City Schools. Those parents, the same as I, expect the best for their children. These men and women often find they have to provide more than just an education or perform their assigned duties. They often have to provide essentials children must have to be successful on a given day. This includes supplies, clothing, food and much more. Our employees have not failed the children; they give all they can. They are in the schools every day and do not have to rely on statistics or quote others. They know they and their colleagues pour themselves into the children they serve because of love, not statistics. Dr. LaMonte cited the number of people who have left the City over the years. Although people obviously leave for various reasons, such as few housing starts, the city’s crime rate, lack of economic opportunities, job relocations, redesigning of the public housing developments and other concerns, LaMonte laid all blame on the shoulders of the school system. He cited a Birmingham News article that stated the Birmingham City Schools had a graduation rate of 83 percent. In the article, Birmingham was listed with all other systems in the county; all graduation rates were determined by the same formula. For his speech, Dr. LaMonte chose to segregate Birmingham from all other systems and apply a different formula using different criterion than the state uses so that he could prove Birmingham’s graduation rate was much lower than what had been determined. I wondered why he would go to such lengths to degrade us. Why would someone who had once held the same position I presently hold be so determined to prove us all failures? Why such bitterness from someone who had to leave after only a few months with the system because he admittedly could not handle the job? In my entire tenure in Birmingham, he is the only superintendent who had to leave in such a short time because he just could not manage the stress. Why would he be so critical of those of us who chose to stay and do all we can? Unlike Dr. LaMonte, after my tenure as interim, I will continue to love and care about the children and employees in Birmingham City Schools. I will never stand before an audience and use the occasion to tear down our school system. Unlike Dr. LaMonte, I do not have to use statistics and experts as my point of reference. I can use what I personally experience every day as I proudly lead this system. Unlike Dr. LaMonte, I will not leave the Birmingham City Schools and then choose to view it through the distorted lens of an outsider because these are my children. Although tests may show that many of our students are struggling academically, I know they are much more than a test given one week out of the school year. I will say, however, that the information that Dr. LaMonte used about our dropout rate is not accurate. According to the Alabama State Department of Education our dropout rate in 2009 was 4.25 percent. I am not overjoyed by that rate, because one dropout is one too many, but the state data reflects the hard work of everyone in the school system. The Birmingham City School System is like other urban school districts that are losing students across the country. Yes, we have lost students and continue to lose students as the overall population of the City declines. Until we all work together to improve the entire community in Birmingham, our enrollment and the population in the City of Birmingham will continue to decrease. My time as interim superintendent is drawing to a close with the impending arrival of Dr. Craig Witherspoon, who will become superintendent this spring. Although I am retiring, I will remain a staunch supporter of the Birmingham City Schools and will be available for Dr. Witherspoon if he needs me. As we prepare for a new leader, I challenge the Board of Education, parents, employees, elected officials and the overall community to support him. It is time for everyone who cares about our children to step up to the plate and provide Dr. Witherspoon with what he will need to succeed: better funding and business and community support. That, indeed, would make Dr. King happy. |
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