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Native Intelligence
	Look who's driving that train (Published April 19, 2004) By DIANA WINTHROP

Since the early 1990s, a number of big city school systems have switched from an elected school board to a mayor-controlled system. The change has occurred during public outrage over deteriorating academic performance. There have even been a few big cities that have seen some score improvements, but the majority have seen little improvement because – surprise! – stability and money are two of the major reasons school systems perform better, and D.C. has had neither.

Several studies have been done – by the Council of Great City Schools, The Public Education Reform Project, The National PTA and the National Association of Chief State School Officers. All of their studies have been inconclusive as to whether a mayor-controlled school system results in better-educated kids.

During the past two years, Mayor Anthony A. Williams has raised the issue of mayoral control but has not convinced residents (even among his Ward 3 supporters) that his takeover would result in a better school system. The mayor’s dreadful performance at a town hall meeting at Wilson Senior High School last month convinced me that, win or lose the city council vote, Williams has failed miserably to convince residents he can do a better job.

Show me how the mayor, whose attention drifts from one issue to another, will do a better job. There has been almost no public debate or consensus generated among residents as to whether our children would benefit. The mayor’s arguments for school takeover have not been couched in providing a better education for the District’s children. Instead, he advances a lame argument that his goal of bringing 100,000 new residents to the District won’t be accomplished unless there are good schools to lure people back.

Williams has never given citizens reason to feel confident that he can succeed where others have failed. But more importantly, the mayor lacks the personality needed to provide calm, stable leadership that the D.C. school system desperately needs. His six years in office have been littered with on-again, off-again funding crises, which has been proof for many residents that his focus on education is erratic at best.

D.C.’s public school system has had five superintendents in 10 years, all with different priorities. The city had one year during Williams’ tenure when standardized test scores showed some improvement. It was the honeymoon of 2001, after the new "hybrid" school board took office. The schools received the money they requested, there was a summer school program and the school board was speaking with one voice.

Naturally, the one voice was not what the mayor wanted to hear. After winning the referendum in a special election in 2000 to change the school board to a mix of elected and appointed members, Williams was surprised that his appointees were more interested in the children than him. It was obvious to even a casual observer that Williams wanted his four political appointees and elected school board President Peggy Cooper Cafritz to agree with him, and their rejection of him was viewed by Williams as a personal attack on him.

During the past two years, Williams’ assault on the school system has been marked by constant upheaval – almost all of it generated by the mayor. The fights over money and the budget have forced the board and the school system to be in a constant war mode. The upheaval has harmed our kids. The elimination of summer school for all children has harmed our kids. The raiding of the capital improvements budget, slowing the rebuilding of our schools, has hurt the children. The mayor’s focus on winning congressional approval of school vouchers for about 2,000 D.C. children, and giving the Bush administration a major victory, has hurt our kids. But, most importantly, the mayor’s impatience has done the most harm to our kids.

For some reason, Williams seems to maintain the belief that change can happen in a year. Where did he get such a ridiculous idea that you can take a deteriorating inner-city school system and, like in the movies, change things around in one year?

Changing this school system for the better will take at least a good steady decade of hard work by everyone – especially the parents. The mayor’s impatience is not a good political trait for any elected official to possess. It doesn’t convince us that he really cares about our kids.

As of this writing, the council has not yet voted on a mayoral takeover of the schools, but I am not optimistic for our kids. Regardless of the outcome, Mayor Williams will continue his disruptive behavior, instead of butting out.

District III school board member Tommy Wells reminded me the other day of a characteristic in American politics that I don’t like. Wells reminded me that whether you love or hate the mayor, "he is our mayor" – and in our political system, we tend to give our elected officials what they request.

Of course, I am crossing my fingers that maybe – just maybe – this time the council will put our children above politics and reject the mayor’s plan.

Williams has routinely characterized the school system as "a slow-moving train wreck." Of course, he fails to remind us that he is driving the engine of that train.

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Diana Winthrop is a native Washingtonian. Contact her at diana@thecommondenominator.com.

Copyright 2004, The Common Denominator