2008 Candidate Forum

Topic #4 The Education Gap

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 10:33:34 -0700

The education gap. What a neat little phrase. Clean, straight forward, defining. Our Latino and African American students are not learning as much or as quickly as our other students. The phrase gives the impression that all we have to do is give tutoring help in a couple of subjects and all will be fixed.

If we truly believe that, we are deluding ourselves by the most grandiose proportions.

We will be ignoring the ugly, and sometimes deadly, truth. In these communities some children view old age as living past 20; there are children having children; some parents never learn parenting skills, and many don’t see the value of sending their child to a school system that failed them. The system by which we are teaching our children is not working, compounded by the fact that many come from dysfunctional homes.

In the following program we hear from Omar Khalif exactly what it is like for his community. It is not pretty; it is raw, troubling and alarming. It is not a situation that many of us have exposure to but this is Omar’s world. Please have the courage to listen so you can appreciate the challenge our teachers face as our school district and city try to decide what we do next. The education gap from the viewpoint of Omar Khalif.

Topic #3 JROTC

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 09:21:15 -0700

I have spent some time speaking with the man who runs the school district JROTC program. I also visited Lowell and spoke with the man who runs the program on that campus. I learned what is taught at each of the programs.

The JROTC teaches our children five periods a week, two of which are PE. They teach history, how to balance a checkbook, and other self-sufficiency skills. Some of the content of their textbooks is troubling, although more current editions are less so. I have been told that the district has not reviewed the courseware for ten years. In whatever form JROTC continues, if it continues, I feel that a review of the course content should be in order. Perhaps it is time to remove the history and civics component and replace it with more PE. At best, fully credentialed teachers who specialize in the subject matter could teach these courses.

The military recruitment issue has two poles. One end is the recruiter from WestPoint who comes to Lowell looking for the best and the brightest. The other end is the concern that JROTC personnel would recruit lower income youths, who would then be in an army that could send them to be ground up in a politically unpopular war. I confess that I have different feelings about each end of the pole. I would not want to limit the chances of a Lowell student to some day be head of our Army. I would feel uncomfortable if I felt our actions contributed to a young person dying overseas.

Now, at the last moment, a new plan, presented by four members of the board of education (two members who are about to leave the board, one incumbent, and one continuing member). I am sure these four will complain the loudest when Scooter Libby is pardoned along with anyone who ever worked on Wall Street by President Bush as he exits the White House. Lame duck house cleaning.

This rush to judgment, without due consideration of the “SERV” plan, is not in the best interests of the school district. This plan may be excellent, and if it is, after careful review, it will be passed, but this should be by the new board. It should not be a meal force fed without ample public review. Those in favor of and those opposed to JROTC understand that this type of heavy-handed action is exactly what has irked many segments of our parent community. Those in public office who seek our trust should consider this.

A view of JROTC in the SFUSD with Omar Khalif.

Topic # 2 Special Education

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:59:21 -0700

On the day that we recorded our Candidate Forum “Special Education”, Carlos Garcia, Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified District School, a man I respect, made a speech before the San Francisco EdFund. In that speech he made a statement that I don’t respect which was, “the city's African American students post lower test scores than special-education students.” While we need to have our African American students perform better, the statement is divisive and furthers the incorrect premise that a student classified as ‘special ed’ carries with it a diminished expectation for the child. Being classified as special ed does not mean that a child is cognitively impaired, it means we need to place more teaching effort to assist that child in learning. I can quickly list a few special ed kids who would not fit the diminished expectations mold, Stephen Hawking, Sir Ken Robinson, Charles Schwab, and Carlos Garcia. It is into this charged atmosphere that our panel, including Marigrace Cohen, Omar Khalif, and Rachel Norton discuss special education.

Topic #1 School Assignment

Tue, 7 Oct 2008 12:30:02 -0700

School assignment is the thorn that sticks every parent as their first contact with the San Francisco Unified School District. The current system confuses some, is daunting to others, and down right painful to those 1800 families who don’t get any of their seven choices of school assignment. There must be a better way. The system was constructed, patched and re-patched as court decisions moved the district one way and bared others. Now free of court restraint, the district is attempting to craft a system that will meet the educational needs of its students and the demands of parents for proximity and equity. In this discussion, four candidates for school board view school assignment; Barbara Lopez, Marigrace Cohen, Omar Kharif and Jaynry Mak.