Neighborhood Education Committees

(From Neighborhood Leader, Fall 2006 issue)

Dear Neighbor,

I was pleased to see three Cleveland school board members at our recent conference on parental and community involvement in education (see page 1). I have a great deal of respect for Rashidah Abdulhaqq, Robert Heard, and Shirley Hawk. Each of them has a long history of community involvement and commitment to the children of Cleveland.

Some people have argued that these board members cannot legitimately represent the interests of Cleveland citizens because they were appointed by the mayor, not elected by their fellow citizens. As someone who believes fervently in democracy, I am sympathetic to such arguments.

At the same time, I have to ask myself: Is turning the clock back to the days before mayoral control really the answer? Would a return to the ways of the old elected school board satisfy those of us who yearn for true democracy?

I think we have to look forward, not back.

In recent months I have had the good fortune to work with a wonderful collection of “forward thinkers” who share my belief in the promise of democracy. I’m speaking of the Cleveland Education Committee (CEC), a group of grassroots leaders that includes numerous graduates of Neighborhood Leadership Cleveland.

The CEC has stepped forward to suggest a new approach to addressing the problems of Cleveland’s schools—an approach that focuses on bringing democracy to the grassroots of our communities.

The key to this new approach is the concept of “Neighborhood Education Committees.” These committees, working at the neighborhood level, would create new opportunities for a wide range of community members to participate in improving the schools in their neighborhoods.

Though the concept is still taking shape, members of Neighborhood Education Committees could include students, parents, business owners, faith-based leaders, police, and other community members, as well as school personnel.

Many of the 120 people who attended the education conference in September have expressed an interest in forming education committees in their neighborhoods. If you would like to help start an education committee in your neighborhood, please contact Lillie Hunter (Class 21) or Annie Lott (Class 22) at the NLI office.

We can’t have true democratic representation at the school board level without democratic participation at the neighborhood level.

This time around, let’s try to tackle the challenges of Cleveland’s schools with more democracy, not less.

Warmest regards,

Don