Support your educators, question the board

VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — Recently, the Vicksburg Warren School District Board of Trustees and the district’s administration have been pushing the community to support the school district. They are doing this as a first step in the upcoming fight against the federal and state push to make school choice a reality in Mississippi. School choice is a program that gives citizens vouchers for their students to attend the school of their choice. It sounds good on the surface, but there are downsides, some significant. More than anything, school choice is a way to shift your public school tax dollars into the hands of the wealthiest people in society while decimating funding for public schools.

We have some very good private schools that absolutely deserve your support, but not at the expense of public school funding. The main thing to consider when it comes to school choice is that the school you choose doesn’t have to accept you. Keep that in mind if you’re not a part of the right social group, income group, race, or have a special needs child.

Speaking of special needs children, over the past year, the Department of Education has implemented a significant reduction-in-force affecting staff in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Millions of dollars in grants for special education programs, including those under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and disability-focused initiatives, have been canceled. Cuts to Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) are expected to affect school-based health services and reduce the funding stream schools use to provide mandated IDEA services, such as therapy and specialized equipment. Additionally, a proposed 16% budget cut to the Department of Education could affect services that support students with disabilities, including client assistance, training, and protection and advocacy programs. Special needs kids are expensive, and funding them via public schools is under attack on the federal level.

All those cuts are designed to make you unhappy with your local school district. If you look at the comments on social media, the effort appears to be working. And if you are unhappy with your local school district, you are more likely to support school choice.

Locally, our school district has issues, but it also does some fantastic things. The positivity that permeates the schools and the learning and inclusion environment is inspirational. The district has corrected its path, and school districts from across the county regularly come here to see what we are doing. What the community should see are the bright, smiling faces of children who feel loved and valued.

As with any organization of its size, some areas in our district need improvement. Parents of special needs children are screaming at the district from all corners of the community. Whatever they’ve done to RCEC hasn’t been well-received, even if it was well-intentioned. Other issues will occur when you’re working with thousands of families and 7000 school-age children. Kids will be kids, and things happen.

The community may want to consider this approach – support your local school and educators while holding elected officials and their appointed administrators accountable. Support the kids, the teachers, and the schools, but hold the board and the superintendent accountable.

Kind of like, “I love my country, but I don’t trust those who lead it.” Locally, we may consider this: “I love my schools, but I don’t trust those who lead them.” Unless, of course, you support the elected officials and superintendent who supported spending your tax dollars for a trip to Hawaii.

The school board needs to remove its face from the push to have the community support the school district. Put the educators and the children as the face of the effort. Vicksburg, Warren County, support your educators, but don’t trust your board. Aloha.