ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Thursday, July 27, 2006

By SUE HAGAN
ThisWeek Staff Writer

Saying it's time to take a direct role in addressing parents' concerns about district schools, the Columbus Public Schools Board of Education pledged to create a vision statement to guide policies that will strengthen the city schools and keep students from leaving.

At the same time, administrators and staff members promised to work together on ways to make the the district better.

Board members held a special meeting last Thursday, along with administrators and members of the district's employee unions, to discuss a survey that said one in nine parents plans to withdraw their child from CPS this year.

That, in a district that has lost nearly 7,000 students to charter schools over the past several years, and stands to lose more because of private school vouchers this fall.

The survey, commissioned and paid for by KidsOhio.org, was completed last May. It polled 601 families, asking them what they like and dislike about Columbus schools.

Since then, said Superintendent Gene Harris, she has wanted to get district personnel together to go over the findings, which included some things that surprised her.

"The piece that most concerns me ... is that a lot of elementary parents are thinking about leaving the district, even though elementary schools got the highest rating," she said.

Elementary schools received an average grade of 3.0 -- or "B" -- on a 4.0 scale, compared to 2.5 -- "C+" -- for middle and high schools.

The number of parents who say they will remove their children from CPS grew larger than the one-in-nine, when charter school and voucher options were explained to them.

At that point, the poll showed that 21 percent of parents would pull their children out given the chance.

"There is a growing receptivity to other kinds of schools," said Mark Real, KidsOhio executive director.

The "tipping point" on whether to keep a child in the district is "whether or not the child's individual needs are being met," he said.

That could mean that a smart child getting all A's leaves because he is not being challenged enough, or a child is failing despite attending a highly rated school, said Real.

"People see the district through the experience of their own child," he said.

The KidsOhio survey -- not unlike those distributed to parents from CPS each year -- showed that parents want fewer distractions from discipline and safety problems, more personal attention and smaller classes to meet their children's needs, and regular, timely communication from teachers and principals.

Parents also had specific ideas on how to improve the schools. Topping their list of ideas was: firing ineffective teachers and providing extra pay for those teaching in "tough" schools; providing health and social services to students; and holding parents responsible for their children's behavior.

Harris said the district has begun working on strategies to diminish discipline problems and improve school climate.

During the upcoming school year, CPS will open the Success Works Academy for students with chronic behavior problems, and will expand to 20 schools a program that started last year to address such problems as racial tension and fighting.

Harris said she also is "in conversations with Mayor (Michael) Coleman about truancy court," which would hold parents responsible when their children are repeatedly absent from school.

Administrators and union representatives had ideas of their own.

Betty Simmons Tally, who heads the classified employees' union, said schools should positively market their strong points, and "come up with a plan to reach out to each parent."

One staff member said each school must ensure that teachers are accessible to parents.

"We also need to reach out to ESL (English as a Second Language) parents through interpreters," she said.

"This is an extraordinary first step," board member Karen Schwarzwalder said, following the staff comments. She said that rarely does a board, administrators and union representatives sit down together to work on solutions to problems.

For the school board, she said, the next step will be creation of "a real vision for what we want this school district to be." The board will meet next month to write that vision, and work on policies to back it up.

Harris emphasized that the focus has to be on real solutions, not just talk.

"Or we'll be back here next year ... talking about the same poll," she said.