Please Don’t Shortchange Title I Students
Published: February 11, 2009
Updated: February 16, 2009
The Chesterfield County School Board is faced with a $52 million budget shortfall for the coming school year, and has responded by proposing the elimination of staffing and programs specifically targeted to help economically disadvantaged students pass state SOL tests. These targeted programs work and are essential in helping county Title I schools that serve this demographic meet the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) goals and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) benchmarks. Generally, a school may qualify as a Title I school if 40 percent or more of its students meet the United States Census definition for low income.
Center-based gifted schools and the Appomattox and Maggie Walker Governor's Schools cost the district millions of dollars annually but are exempt from cuts and public scrutiny. Pupil-teacher ratios in these programs will remain unchanged. In Chesterfield, most poor students, no matter how genetically gifted, will have their opportunity for inclusion in gifted services and Governor's School foreclosed before their 9th birthday. Children not enrolled in advanced math classes at the elementary school level will not advance to eighth grade honors algebra, which is a prerequisite course for Governor's School eligibility.
The board has also proposed elimination of payment for Advanced Placement (AP) tests, hurting poor students aspiring to college. The AP program initiative of Superintendent Marcus Newsome has increased the rigor of coursework taken by students of all races, and provided an excellent measure of accountability with which to measure achievement.
A SECOND benefit of funding AP testing is that poor students receive a "second look" at placement in rigorous AP classes through the AP Potential program, which utilizes the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) to identify students with college potential. This program was implemented by former Superintendent Billy Cannaday.
Students selected to benefit from gifted education services receive an additional $21-perchild allocation to supplement their education. Gifted students consistently score in the top 3 percent on most ability and achievement tests. If it's cream, it will naturally rise to the top without this additional help. These funds must be used to acquire what is necessary and essential to accomplish district priorities of improving SOL performance and meeting NCLB goals and AYP benchmarks.
Maggie Walker Governor's School students will continue to receive PSAT preparation funded in the ninth, 10th, and 11th grades. In contrast, Chesterfield County School students will receive PSAT preparation only in the 10th and 11th grades. Affluent parents know that strong PSAT performance is a key first hurdle in admission to elite colleges. Providing the best exam prep opportunities only to Maggie Walker students is inequitable, handicapping the least advantaged students, not to mention the great majority in the middle.
THE BOARD will break its promise to Falling Creek Middle School and withdraw local funds used to replace Title I funds lost when its Title I status was changed in 2007. Literally without one word of discussion or debate, this board voted to remove Falling Creek Middle School's status as a Title I school after Falling Creek failed to achieve AYP as required of schools receiving Title I funds -- only to avoid the school-choice sanctions of NCLB, which allow students to transfer to a school meeting NCLB standards. This paper's Editorial Board supported school choice for these students.
Title I parents did not sit on the district's Budget Advisory Committee and provide input on the proposed budget. The Gifted Advisory Committee had input to the board and prevented cuts to the gifted program. Title I students bring 4 million federal dollars into the district annually. In contrast, the district funds the costly non-teaching administrators and staff for the gifted program. The voice of Title I parents must be institutionalized, as is the voice of the parents of gifted students.
Soon Chesterfield Schools will have numerically as many African-American students as Richmond Public Schools. The county's percentage of economically disadvantaged students of all races will soon top 30 percent. Recognized by America's Promise Alliance as one of the 100 Best Communities for Young People, Chesterfield must become one of the best communities for the young people categorized in NCLB subgroups.
It is imprudent to spend less on the education of the subgroup of students and schools most at risk of failure and prioritize spending for the group of students and schools with the strongest performance on SOL tests. The educational interests of Chesterfield's Title I students must not be sacrificed or compromised -- not now in the midst of this economic crisis, not ever.
Arthur Almore chairs the Chesterfield branch of the NAACP Education Committee. For more information, see http://www.chesterfieldnaacp.org.
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Reader Reactions
Sir,
I am a student at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. I am responding because this article misses the mark on facts regarding my school. I may be reiterating things said previously, but I want you to hear it from a student’s point of view.
Your first point, regarding the Governor’s school’s exemption from cuts and public scrutiny, makes me wonder where you get your information. The Governor’s schools are subject to budget changes as much as any other school, perhaps more seeing as we serve twelve districts and are subject to each of their changes. As of 2009, the MLWGS approved budget for the fiscal year shows revenue above expenses by just short of two million. We do not cost the Chesterfield district alone ‘millions’ even though it is one of our largest districts. As for exemptions from public scrutiny, the public can speak and observe what they wish of our school. I’ve been to a few court house meetings where the Governor’s school was discussed by the public.
Your next statement concerning the equal opportunity being not-so-equal makes me think you naive. All of the children have an equal opportunity at the Governor’s school. If they do posses the talent that would allow them into our school, as a recall from my public middle school they are tested for math class placement, and would be put in an advanced class. One class ahead puts them in perfect position for reaching Algebra by 8th grade.
Your next point, on the subject of PSAT preparation funding, is false. There is nothing in the MLWGS budget concerning PSAT preparation being funded. Our preparation and achievement on these examinations are only based on the wonderful teachers and their ability to teach us. No special treatment is put into PSATs. From experience, we are warned of them a week or two prior just so we can get our #2 pencils and proper rest the day before, and then we show up and take the test. Nothing we do regarding PSATs ‘handicaps’ other students.
Next, these ‘costly non-teaching administrators’ you refer to do not exist. We have administrators, just the same as any other school. The budget gives them and other staff not even half of a million to split between them.
The complete budget can be found on our school’s website.
I do agree with you Mr. Almore that the Title I students should receive the funding deserved and they do play an essential role in our society, but this article should not bash the Governor’s Schools because of the opportunity they provide for the students who deserve it.
I hope I have set you straight on your facts and you’ve learned not to meddle in the affairs of dragons.
Thank you,
Mary Sader
Dear Arthur,
Allow me to point out a number of factual inaccuracies about the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School:
“Center-based gifted schools and the Appomattox and Maggie Walker Governor’s Schools cost the district millions of dollars annually but are exempt from cuts and public scrutiny.” In fact, MLWGS is not automatically exempt from cuts, and we face financial scrutiny from all 12 of the school divisions that we serve.
“Pupil-teacher ratios in these programs will remain unchanged.” Since the MLWGS budget is dependent upon the budgets of our school divisions, our budget will not be finalized until after our 12 divisions adopt their budgets. Right now, we are looking at all options for reducing expenditures.
“Gifted students consistently score in the top 3 percent on most ability and achievement tests. If it’s cream, it will naturally rise to the top without this additional help.” Numerous studies have shown that this is not the case. In fact, unchallenged gifted students are at a high risk for underachievement and sometimes even higher drop-out rate.
“Maggie Walker Governor’s School students will continue to receive PSAT preparation funded in the ninth, 10th, and 11th grades.” No operational budget funds are spent for special PSAT or SAT preparation.
“Providing the best exam prep opportunities only to Maggie Walker students is inequitable, handicapping the least advantaged students, not to mention the great majority in the middle.” MLWGS has no formal “exam preparation opportunities.” High student performance is a result of a strong instructional program taken very seriously by our students.
Lastly, I am a proud MLW Dragon Parent and my daughter is a Senior just recently accepted at The George Washington University; I can prove to you that unchallenged gifted students run a higher risk of dropping out or failure than most others! Please get your facts straight, before you publish anything else that deals with our future generation’s education. Jose Ilarraza
I think there is room to agree with Mr Almore on the crucial role and benefits of Title 1 schools/programs/parent representation and at the same time acknowledge simliar needs for those focused on the gifted. Moreoever, the fact is that Governor’s Schools (like MLWGS) face the same scrutiny as the 12 school divisions it represents and can finalize budgets only AFTER those 12 divisions have done so. Thus they also must look at all options for reducing expenditures. At present MLWGS has no program of “PSAT preparation” and budgeted funds are NOT spent for any PSAT (or SAT) prep. I am not aware the policy of other designated ‘gifted’ schools and/or programs.
RE: “Don’t Shortchange Title 1 Students”
I agree wholeheartedly with the writer that the programs work and should not be cut. Education in general is among the last programs that should be axed, though some politicians in Washington and elsewhere apparently think up to date schools and equipment is a luxury.
I must point out SEVERAL ERRORS in Mr. Almore’s piece. It is NOT TRUE that the Maggie Walker Governor’s school is automatically exempt from either cuts. and they are certainly under close scrutiny from the localities they serve.
We would like very much for the pupil teacher ratio to remain unchanged but there is no guarantee that that will happen. Mr. Almore states that Maggie Walker students received Funded PSAT preparation. My information is that NO OPERATIONAL BUDGET FUNDS ARE SPENT ON SPECIAL PSAT OR SAT preparation. And counter to the claim the “the best exam prep opportunities (are provided) only to Maggie Walker students” there are NO FORMAL EXAM PREP OPPORTUNITIES—These young people in fact perform extremely well on these tests because of a strong and challenging instructional program, to which these highly motivated students respond.
The title 1 programs should be funded. Our schools should be better. It will probably take more money not less to accomplish that. But The Governor’s school for Government and International studies at Maggie Walker is not the reason politicians are reducing funding for our schools.
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