At first glance, the right-sizing of the Kansas City, Missouri School District (KCMSD) just feels wrong. It feels wrong to close more schools in struggling neighborhoods; to punish scholars with longer bus rides home; to let teachers go with little more than ‘we wish we didn’t have to’; to take beautiful buildings that used to stand for community and put boards in their windows; to ask families to burden a solution after years of school boards -- which now includes myself -- failing to fix the problems. In the storm of controversy, it is easy to overlookwhat is right in the journey we are on.

Beyond all that may feel wrong, there is so much that is 'right' in our district and with the right-sizing plan. We should celebrate that our Superintendent has led a thoughtful and data-driven six-month, 3-stage process to arrive at the plan.

- First, hundreds of Kansas Citians defined the process along with the Right-Sizing Taskforce, setting the criteria by which the administration ranked the schools.

- Then the administration evaluated every district building, employing a data-driven analysis to reflect the priorities of the community.

- Finally, we are in the stage where human realities push back against the unfeeling results of mere data.

Now with community input tempering the quantitative analysis, we can also celebrate that what started as the Superintendent's plan has become the community's right-sizing plan -- our plan. Replacing the apathetic yawns of the past with the energized outcries of the right-sizing forums is a huge step along the difficult path to rebuilding.

And so we must continue to progress through a painful process. Because our plan is not perfect, the board must work collaboratively with the Superintendent after our plan is approved to create a policy framework for the implementation of our plan. These policies will hold the Superintendent accountable for ensuring that significant issues do not become significant missteps.

While there is much about our plan I don't like, I join my neighbors in disliking even more the notion of standing in the way of educational achievement for all scholars. Without our plan, the KCMSD will continue its current pattern of unequally distributed opportunity suggesting that it is appropriate for some scholars to receive all that they deserve while others are largely ignored. No longer can some parts of our district serve as educational deserts while others bask in rich valleys of educational prosperity. If we abandon our plan, we abandon hope for transformation. That is a road I will not travel; I won't do that to our scholars whom I have come to know and admire.

So I believe.

- I believe our Superintendent and our plan will pave the way for the next leg of our shared journey towards educational achievement for all scholars.

- I believe together we can listen to and support our scholars, families and teachers as they change buildings while growing educational achievement district-wide.

- I believe together we can close cherished buildings and migrate programs while still retaining our commitment to collective action in our district.

- I believe together we can make heartbreaking decisions and still not break our unifying spirit -- there remains something inside so strong.

If you believe as I believe, tonight join us at 1211 McGee at 6:30pm to stand united for our scholars. And tomorrow, continue to be part of the transformation of our district by remaining involved, choosing to BE 1! (www.be1kc.org), voting in the April 6th election (www.kcu4ea.org) and doing all we can to create a district that provides educational achievement for ALL scholars.

Labels: KCMSD, Transformation