Paul Bass Photo
When the mayor appealed to aldermen to join his school reform drive, not all headed right to the trenches. Mike Jones, for one, isn’t sure if he can do what the mayor asked.
DeStefano has appealed to aldermen to recruit 10 parents who aren’t already active in schools to become part of the city’s emerging plan to cut the dropout rate in half, close the achievement gap, raise teacher quality, turn around failing schools, and ensure each public school student can succeed in college.
DeStefano made his appeal at last week’s State of the City address. The mayor asked each of the 30 aldermen to get 10 new parents involved in their school PTO and 10 new residents involved with the school change campaign (by visiting this website). He had staffers and volunteers ready at a table outside the aldermanic chambers with pledge cards.
Not all were ready to sign on.
Mike Jones (pictured) wanted to. He’s all for school reform.
But the freshman alderman represents Ward 1. His district spans 11 downtown blocks, roughly from Church to High Street and from Chapel to Wall. Most of his constituents are fellow Yale students.
“I’m not sure if we have more than 10 parents of school-age children here in Ward 1, and if we do, I don’t think that I know them,” said Jones.
He said he hadn’t signed the pledge, “but I am generally supportive of the school reform efforts.”
Melissa Bailey Photo
Other aldermen quickly grabbed a pen, proud to show commitment to a campaign to make New Haven the “best urban district in the nation.”
East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar (pictured) was one of the first to sign the pledge. His daughter, a student at Nathan Hale School, signed on as his witness.
“I think it’s important to engage parents in an innovative and aggressive and innovative school reform plan,” Lemar said. “Getting parent buy-in at the beginning of the process is the only way that insure that as the process moves along, parents are listened to throughout.”
If each alderman complies, that would mobilize 600 people to join the school reform drive. That would get more people invested, and ready to lobby for resources for schools, Lemar pointed out. It would also theoretically add more accountability — more people to track the reforms’ progress and speak up if they fall short.
Newhallville Alderwoman Katrina Jones, who works for the school district in the adult education department, said she didn’t have time to stop at the school reform station set up outside Aldermanic Chambers for the State of the City speech. The table was stocked with brochures and bright red bumper stickers and pins.
“I skipped right by the table,” she said, but “I do plan to sign” the pledge.
Alderwoman Jones welcomed the chance to support what she called “bold” reforms. She said she’ll enlist her daughter, a 17-year-old student at Career High School, to help find parents who’d like to join the campaign.
Melissa Bailey Photo
West Rock’s Darnell Goldson (pictured) skipped by the table on purpose. He wasn’t buying the pitch.
“I don’t know what the school reform agenda is,” Goldson said. “It’s not well-defined.”
He said a teenage girl came over to him after the State of the City address and gave him a slip of paper. It laid out the foundation of the reform plan — a belief that New Haven can do better, and adults “must change the status quo in education in order to achieve these results.” Then came the pledge.
“I, Darnell Goldson, Alderman of the 30th Ward, pledge to enroll and activate 10 new parents into their local Parent-Teacher Organizations (PTOs) so that they may participate in New Haven School Change at its most fundamental level — the school,” the paper read.
“In addition, I pledge to sign up 10 new residents to join the School Change Campaign so that we may all work together in order to build the best educational system of great schools in the nation.”
Goldson declined to sign. He called it “unfair” of the mayor to use children to pressure aldermen into signing on the spot, without giving them a heads up first.
The young school change ambassador didn’t give up, Goldson said.
“The kid came back three times!”
Still, he didn’t sign. Goldson said he would feel uncomfortable peddling the campaign in his neighborhood — especially to parents who were pushing for school reform for years before the mayor “joined the bandwagon.” Their idea of “reform” — for example, introducing school vouchers — might be different from DeStefano’s plans, he said.
Some previous stories about New Haven’s school reform drive:
• Parents: Where Do We Start?
• Failing Schools Deadline Set
• Teachers Give Tough Grades — To Themselves
• Watchdog: State Lags In Race To The Top
• Reform Drive Looks Beyond Test Scores
• She Made Time To Get Off Work
• New Leaders Sought For City High Schools
• Report Card Night Revamped
• Parents Challenged To Join Reform Drive
• Where Do Bad Teachers Go?
• Reform Committees Set
• Mayo Extends Olive Branch
• School Board Makes Mom Cry
• Next Term Will Determine Mayor’s Legacy
• Reading Target Set: 90% By February
• Teacher Pact Applauded; Will $$ Follow?
• Mayor “Not Scared” By $100M
• Useful Applause: Duncan, AFT Praise City
• Reformer Moves Inside
• After Teacher Vote, Mayo Seeks “Grand Slam”
• Will Teacher Contract Bring D.C. Reward?
• What About The Parents?
• Teachers, City Reach Tentative Pact
• Philanthropists Join School Reform Drive
• Wanted: Great Teachers
• “Class of 2026” Gets Started
• Principal Keeps School On The Move
• With National Push, Reform Talks Advance
• Nice New School! Now Do Your Homework
• Mayo Unveils Discipline Plan
• Mayor Launches “School Change” Campaign
• Reform Drive Snags “New Teacher” Team
• Can He Work School Reform Magic?
• Some Parental Non-Involvement Is OK, Too
• Mayor: Close Failing Schools
• Union Chief: Don’t Blame The Teachers
• 3‑Tiered School Reform Comes Into Focus
• At NAACP, Mayo Outlines School Reform
• Post Created To Bring In School Reform
• Board of Ed Assembles Legal Team