A handful of school districts in Arkansas--less than 20, out of more than 230 school districts--have put up a fight when parents have asked to move their children to other school districts. It's called school choice. Over the years, Arkansas lawmakers, bless 'em, have tried to make it easier for parents to move their kids away from failing schools, across school district boundaries, and into districts that are actually doing the job of educating students.
But the brass at 18 school districts, and boy do they have it, are doing everything they can to deny this choice. Even pulling out old deseg orders and court documents from the 1960s (and even earlier) to show that, gosh, they'd really love to comply with the law but their hands are tied. Never mind that the lawyers and judges who worked on some of those deseg orders long ago are no longer on the job, or maybe even alive. Are those old deseg orders still in effect all these years later? Why go into detail? A school district has to do what it has to do to keep its students--and the state money that comes with each kid.
The folks speaking for these school districts--various principals, lawyers, school board members, etc.--have practice at making excuses. And some have made these excuses for so long that maybe a few are even starting to believe what they say. But every now and then you'll get a spot of honesty. Perhaps unintended, but honesty just the same.
In Blytheville, for good example.
The superintendent there says the school district doesn't have a choice when it denies kids the opportunity to go elsewhere. The folks at district HQ really, really, really would like to help. But, gosh, look at all those crazy laws that prevent transfers. (Sigh.) Or as the superintendent of the Blytheville school district told the paper: "We're in a minefield between federal judges and crazy state laws."
Uh huh.
But then reporters went to a former school board member, Lori Hixon, who was defeated in the last election by two votes. She opposed school transfers when she was on the board. And here's what she told the press:
"If we'd chosen to be a part of school choice, they were lined up to leave the district." They being, presumably, kids looking for a better education.
You see, if the school board had chosen . . . .
The kids were lined up . . . .
To leave the district.
Which might leave some to believe that the school district in Blytheville--and school districts elsewhere--choose to deny transfers--just as Ms. Hixon suggested. And the families in some of these school districts are so anxious to get their children out of these failing schools that they're "lined up" to leave. But school boards stand in the way, keeping kids in failing schools.
This is an example of the worst kind of school district leadership. As if the district, and its money, should be the priority, not the kids.
There is hope. Just see the Arkansas Board of Education and what it did last week. The board finally granted a student transfer to a student after denying transfers for the longest. It seems the Board of Education has seen the light. Or at least three members of the board; the vote was 3-2 to let the kid escape the failing school.
This is a reason to celebrate. And here's hoping the Board of Education overrules more school boards that think of the district's money first, kids second, if even that.
If local school boards--or at least a handful of them--aren't going to do right by students, here's hoping the Legislature, the governor, and the Board of Education will. Before another generation of kids are subjected to failing schools.
Editorial on 10/12/2015