Morning Call – April 27, 2005

Reading Schools, Dr. Robert Kish

Dear Friends,

Good morning. Some of my thoughts drifted to Dr. Robert Kish as I discussed the “No Child Left Behind” program with Dr. Melissa Jamula, the Superintendent of the Reading school district. Five of Reading’s 19 schools failed the NCLB test in reading and math.

“I think that the real purpose is to discredit public education,” Kish, Pennridge’s school superintendent, began, “thereby justifying reduced federal and state support for public education. What the Bush administration wants to accomplish is to transfer funding to private and parochial schools.”

“How would you tackle the NCLB assignment if your school district had Reading’s demographics,” I asked? Reading has 17,000 children in 14 elementary schools, four middle schools, and one high school. In Reading, the student population is: 66 percent Hispanic, 15 percent black, two percent Asian, and only 17 percent white. Two thousand of the children cannot read, write, or speak English. Neither can most of their parents, Jamula says. The tests are given in English.

Reading is the second poorest of Pennsylvania’s 501 school districts (Chester-Upland) is the poorest). The number of children eligible for the free lunch program determines the degree of poverty. “In Reading, kids eligible for school lunch is 80 percent overall…and in some of our elementary schools, it’s in the mid 90’s [percent],” Jamula told me.

What requirements does the federal government place upon Reading to bring its five schools to a passing grade? “For us, implementing an improvement plan carries a $30 million price tag,” Jamula continued. “We’d have to go to full day kindergarten; lower class sizes for special education and limited English proficiency; increase the school year from 180 to 206 days; add one hour to each school day; and invest in improved technology.”

Reading schools are suing the state board of education, arguing that the NCLB sanctions should be lifted because the law brings no additional funds to meet its requirements. Attorneys John Bradley and Richard Guida represent the Reading school district. “By 2014, reading and math proficiency must be 100 percent across the nation,” Guida said. “My predication is that every school in Pennsylvania will fail.”

“The quality of education in Pennsylvania is determined by zip code,” Jamula said. “Why can Reading only afford $8,000 spent on each pupil every year compared to our adjacent school district [Muhlenberg] which invests $13,000 [per child]? It’s the affect of the property tax,” she alluded to the city’s declining prosperity.

Reading is poor. “Reading has the highest number of single parent families in Pennsylvania,” Jamula added. “And the city has the highest number of adults without a high school education. While Reading has increased by only three percent in the last ten years, the school district has grown 36 percent!

“The intent of the No Child Left Behind” is certainly worthy, Jamula concluded, “but the regulations make it impossible to succeed. This law makes being an educator very frustrating.”

Allentown and Bethlehem’s demographics are similar but not as acute. Allentown’s school district has 17,251 students: 54 percent Hispanic, 17 percent black, two percent Asian, and 27 percent white. Bethlehem has 14,902 students: 30 percent Hispanic, eight- percent black, two percent Asian, and 60 percent white.

That’s a far cry from Pennridge and Quakertown’s demographics where 95 percent of the students are white. So I marvel at how well Reading’s doing with its NCLB. Remarkably, 14 of its 19 schools are actually passing.

Connecticut has filed a suit against the federal government’s NCLB funding. Will Reading join in? Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

Charles Meredith