Sitting through the latest Newton Municipal School Board meeting makes me wonder if anything has really changed since the Sept. 30 shooting at Newton Elementary School.
Take this statement from 15-year Board Member Alice Dawkins-Hopson:
“One of the things I’ve said and I will continue to say, parents have to be accountable. You can push stuff. You can give stuff. You can send stuff. But where is the accountability for our parents? Parents to be willing to read. Parents have to be willing to log on and see what’s going on. We can do everything it is A to Z and get it out there. But if you don’t pick it up, you don’t say hey, how can I do this? What can I do to make it better for my child? It’s obsolete.”
If you want to hear her full statement, go back and listen to the meeting.
Guess what Ms. Dawkins-Hopson, I heard you. How many times have parents called the school trying to get information but can’t get someone on the phone? How many times have parents tried to update their information for the district to continue to send out notices to an address they haven’t lived at in 10 years?
How many times have parents or community members reached out to the school district or the school superintendent herself only for no one to return an email or phone message? Has the school district really done everything from A to Z to get the message out there?
Those are questions of which parents need answers.
Board President Lavera Chapman noted a survey response asking the district to check backpacks, but she used that response to put blame on parents.
“Are you checking the backpacks? You know check their backpacks,” Chapman said. “How do you know if they have homework? Check their backpacks. We’ve made it so easy for the parents to check in on the computer, but still there are things in the backpack.”
This attitude being displayed here is a microcosm of what is wrong with the Newton Municipal School District. There’s plenty of blame to go around. I wrote about that several weeks ago.
This is not the time to use a parent’s response in a survey to shift the blame. Most of the parents are doing the right thing. They are involved with their children’s education. Of course, some aren’t, but blaming all parents isn’t the right thing to do.
It’s time for the Superintendent Glenda Nickson and the school board to actually listen — I mean — listen to your students, parents and teachers, and do not say a word in response. Take notes, and truly put the interests of the students, parents and teachers first when you decide what to do.
Here’s the thing. You talked about building a new elementary school and a new high school gymnasium. The new gym will cost somewhere between $4 million and $8 million, especially if you build for the future like you should so that there is plenty of room for both basketball and volleyball to succeed. The current gym may only have a year or two left before it can’t be used without a major overhaul.
That new elementary school is going to cost around $18 million. And let me be the first to say it, Newton Elementary School needs to be replaced ASAP. The layout of the campus is a disaster, and putting band-aids on those buildings just isn’t good enough.
This kind of attitude could drive the district further apart. This is the time to come together and find a solution that best fits Newton. If you do that, you will build trust with the parents and community.
Down the road, you’re going to ask these parents to pony up more tax money on their houses and car tags to foot the bill for a new school. You need everyone on board, even local businesses and families that don’t have an immediate stake in the district.
If parents know you are really listening to their concerns and doing something about it, they’re more likely going to support a bond issue and property tax increase. If parents don’t see that, don’t expect their votes.
I think this new construction is in the best interests of the district if it wants to be the top-notch school district administrators say they want to be. Everyone is watching you right now.
Brent can be reached at bmaze@newtoncountyappeal.com.
