My Fight for better schools for all SLPS kids continued: Through a different lens
My Fight for better schools for all SLPS kids continued: Through a different lens
*For the record I attempted to publish this piece as an op-ed sequel through the St. Louis American but was not considered.
Friday, March 26th, I resigned from my position at WEPOWER, where I served as the Lead Community Organizer for Early Childhood Education for the past two years. WEPOWER is a nonprofit organization with a mission to re-design inequitable systems related to health, education and economics. I have no regrets for the work I did; in fact, I was surrounded by passionate, driven young activists in a non-profit with lofty goals, vision and a passion to liberate Black and brown people in the St. Louis region.
I joined WEPOWER as a member of the inaugural Power Building Academy in Spring of 2018. Essentially I was one of those women, ones I called “Mad Mamas,” who saw inequity in the St. Louis Public School system that I graduated from myself, then chose for my children more than 20 years later.
My children started school at Columbia Elementary, the proposed new gifted school in North City, where we live. But the inequities my husband and I could see after visiting the other two (South City) gifted elementary schools ignited me and forced me into action. I spent the next two years building an active PTO, fundraising, beautifying and creating community within our school. But after all these efforts, and the hundreds of hours spent to accomplish them, what I really wanted was systemic change that would last. I shared about this experience in an op-ed back in September 2018. (linked above)
After two years, I transitioned my children to Mallinckrodt Academy on the South side, where, even after all our efforts at Columbia, I felt they would still have greater opportunities. Leaving Columbia was a huge pain point for me, and I often spoke of my frustration and sadness to family and friends. At that time I learned about a new program, the Power Building Academy at the recently formed non-profit WEPOWER, where I would have an opportunity to engage with like-minded people who wanted to implement policy changes that would elevate our marginalized community. My only question was, “Where do I sign?”
I loved everything about the experience! Sixteen black women met monthly over a weekend at the beautiful, newly built Deaconess Center. Stipends, childcare, meals and snacks were provided at every meeting. The curriculum was thoughtfully crafted and the dialogue was engaging and stimulating. I left those weekends feeling inspired. After unpacking the history of education in our country, state and then the city of St. Louis, we were fired up for change. After talking to community members, we launched into our campaign — Better Budgets, Better Schools — calling for budget transparency in the district of SLPS, which we were going to get by any means necessary. We learned tactics of organizing and came to understand that making change is not always nice, so we pushed on and disrupted the district with our policy demands. My proudest moment was rallying a group of more than 50 parents and community members to attend a school board meeting where we held up public comments and demanded a meeting with board members to share our platform. As a result, a committee on budgeting was formed. I was thrilled.
As time progressed I joined another fellowship offered by WEPOWER, the Tomorrow Builders Fellowship, focusing on Early Childhood education in the region. In November, I served as Campaign Coordinator for the ballot initiative YES on R, which secured $2.3 million per year in funding for children 0–5 in early learning centers. This fellowship consisted of learning trips and even more rich experiences. More and more opportunities began to open up for me to work in collaboration with our partners, attend training sessions and serve on boards. I finally was asked to join the full-time team at WEPOWER, and I was elated.
Over time, however, I began to wonder if our efforts were actually in service of St. Louis Public School District. At times I felt that initiatives went beyond holding the district accountable and moved into undermining the district at every turn. My worries crystallized following a lunch meeting at one of those artsy places without the prices on the menu, with one of our funders, Mr. Eric Scroggins of the Opportunity Trust. I spoke about the district and what I thought would be effective techniques to turn things around, such as smaller class sizes, highly paid certified teachers, wrap around services and literacy initiatives. Mr. Scroggins simply looked at me and replied, “That won’t work. We have to burn it down.” I didn’t want to burn it down. After all, my children were in there.
That conversation stayed with me, and my concerns continued to grow. I began seeing the education initiatives at WEPOWER through a different lens. “How does this goal, new campaign, etc., serve to burn down the district? And why am I here?” This is not what I want at all. I want the district to be accountable and serve all children well. I wanted budget transparency and parent voice to be centered. In addition, I began to realize that in the “reimagining” we were doing, the charter models that we were ultimately heading toward didn’t have any of those things. Of the 30+charter schools we have in the city, none of them have elected school boards or budget dashboards, their teachers are not allowed to collectively bargain, many of our students are struggling just the same as they are in the district, or barely performing any better, and no organizations are making demands of them. I am wrestling with understanding why there is such a big push to open even more schools even though we have struggling schools that dwindle, fail and close on a regular basis. At times in the past, I had become frustrated with the reactions of critics of WEPOWER’s work. I felt that people misunderstood what we were striving for or misjudged our intentions. However, the more I discovered, the more I began to realize that there were actually parts that I misunderstood.
I understand that some people already knew what took some time for me to grasp and more people are now beginning to speak up about it. As a collective, we understand more of the big picture and what is at stake. Our district is struggling for a number of reasons, but has racism and bias at the core. At the same time I was working with WEPOWER, a parent volunteer group I’m a member of called “Equity Bridge” held recurring meetings. We learned that more than 150 families turned down seats at Columbia on the North side, when they could not get coveted gifted slots at CJA or Mallinckrodt. Process that a bit. Those parents who turned down a slot at Columbia create ramifications for the district and contribute to an impact far beyond just their family. Mr. Scroggins is not wrong when he points out the low test scores and achievement gaps — the results are there for us all to see. However, I don’t buy the notion that more new magical charter schools will somehow save the day. It turns out that much profit is to be made off the poverty and pain of marginalized people.
It’s now known that Mr. Scroggins and The Opportunity Trust are well resourced, well connected, and have a thorough school privatization plan with highly skilled people working full-time toward it everyday. Part of their funding derives from The City Fund, an organization whose stated mission is to partner with local leaders to innovate public schools. However, as The City Fund executes its plans in cities around the country, traditional public schools close and charter schools expand, creating a system where K-12 Education operates through private / individual entities. The Opportunity Trust has several lobbyists, non-profits, fellowships and even school districts on the payroll to set their vision for our region into motion. Intimidating? To say the least.
Even so, those efforts can not stop the power of people deciding to pivot and course-correct. At the end of the day, we belong to one another and the sooner we start to act like it, coming together in community to improve our public schools, the better off we will be. So today, I am not calling parents out, no matter what school choice you have made for your children. I am calling each of us in and off of the sidelines to build up what we know is being threatened to be burned down. As I reflect on all of this, I find it symbolic that I received new glasses this year for the first time ever. If we all decide to address issues plaguing our K-12 education system through a new lens we can be so powerful. Let’s work.
Gloria