Vantage Point: Do we really care?
By:
CSBA President Jill Wynns
Published: May 31, 2012
Last month the Coalition for Community Schools held its annual conference in San Francisco. There were a few school board members and other policymakers in attendance, but the bulk of the attendees were service providers from around the country—community-based agencies that run partnership programs in schools, such as health care, counseling, nutrition, family support and recreation. Although our schools do not provide these services, we have a fundamental interest in making sure that support services are available and aligned with our academic programs.
Many school districts are now working to develop full-service community school strategies to organize community services for student success. That is why we are planning a full-service community schools strand for our Annual Education Conference and Trade Show in San Francisco Nov. 29-Dec. 1. We know that school board members are interested in learning about the challenges and opportunities we face when we embrace the community schools strategy. Plan to attend the Annual Education Conference and join the discussion.
One morning the Community Schools Forum was wowed by a panel of Bay Area superintendents, including my San Francisco USD’s incoming Richard Carranza and our retiring Carlos Garcia. I was proud of all of these visionary leaders. They were all great. Their support is both inspirational and necessary to the development of community school programs around the state.
But Carlos’ remarks inspired in a different way. I guess impending retirement gives him permission to be more candid and to hold back nothing. Not that Carlos has ever been exactly shy about expressing his opinions but, like all of us, he has had to handle our political relationships with care and finesse.
At this event, nuance went out the window.
This was his message: We say we care about children, we say that they are our highest priority. Our legislative representatives claim to be sympathetic to our cause but unable to accomplish anything. Nonsense! (Actually, he used a more colorful word.) If children’s education was really our highest priority, we would provide adequate funding.