Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Recent comments by a Monroe City Schools Board member at a Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2023 meeting may have had good intentions, but some did not receive those comments with a warm reception. School board president Bill Willson gave a board report on a trip to Washington, D.C., representing educational purposes and the Chamber of Commerce recently. While in Washington, Willson said he had a great opportunity to lobby Louisiana’s congressional delegation and the state’s superintendent. Willson said the superintendent is expected to visit the area shortly and speaks very highly of Superintendent Vidrine and the great job he is doing. He also said a conversation was had about Jump Start and what could be done differently in the system to address early child development and pathways into jobs and vocations. He also praised the delegation, particularly Congresswoman Julia Letlow, who sits on the Appropriations Committee and is the person from Louisiana in ten years to do so. Willson said that while in Washington, they learned more about the schools in the city, mentioning that 17 schools got tested recently, and not a single student tested proficient in math. “Get your head around that,” said Willson, while mentioning around $32,000 was spent per student in that district. “Realizing that our scores are not where they should be, they are a whole lot better than in some areas." He also shared that a study came out not long ago and that test scores (nationally) for our students are the lowest they have been in thirty years. “Thirty years," Willson repeated, adding, “especially in the Afro-American community."

The phrase “get your head around that” didn’t come next, but there were probably some in the audience expecting to hear it. Willson then shared that a large reason for low scores was that many kids stayed at home and didn’t attend school because of COVID. He acknowledged that MCS has been playing catch-up for almost two years with summer school and after-school tutoring and are trying to do things to get better. Willson said they have worked to get better parental involvement and engagement in the past. Willson also said he thinks more effort is needed from different parts of the community through an ad-hoc committee. Willson said these steps are needed along with finding ways to get more parents engaged with children because it is a heavy lift that will require a lot of time and effort. People from the community range from parents, teachers, principals, pastors, elected representatives, and board members. The African-American community is well aware that parental involvement is essential to a child’s ability to succeed in school. The community has heard it before, and there are reasons for that. African-American children continue to play catch up from when they and their parents weren’t allowed to go to school, much less read. The history is there. African-Americans have been playing catchup for over two hundred years. Separate but equal schools helped close the gap some, but the gap remains. There are environmental factors that prohibit African-American children, such as limited resources as compared to other schools. When good schools are performing well focus is kept there, despite the need for more concentrated effort for schools where children underachieve. Did Willson really have to mention Washington schools as a measuring stick, perhaps knowing that it is the most politicized city in the world? Take our destiny into our own hands, you ask? That happened in Tulsa, and look at what happened. It may take a village to raise a child, but a village can also condemn that child. It will take some a little longer to “get to the Promised Land”. Monroe is no Washington D.C., but it has Black schools and is majority Black and votes Democrat just like Washington D.C. Why wouldn’t Willson simply say that Monroe is not alone? Then there is that word “especially” that people may remember most. African-Americans are painfully aware of the struggles they may face in all facets of life, but it is very difficult to catch up when you are 200 years behind. Or if one goes back to 1619, then one can really understand why the struggle continues.