Hope for Richmond Public Schools to Move Beyond Massive Resistance ...

[Editor’s Note:  A shorter version of this essay appears in the July 23 issue of Style Weekly.]

By Carol A.O. Wolf 

"Re Fox-Cary pairing: The loudest feedback sounds eerily like Massive Resistance 2.0. BUT I've also received a lot of feedback from families of all backgrounds who welcome the idea. In fact, I believe they're the majority. I encourage them to share their perspective publicly.”    

~ Jason Kamras, Supt. Richmond Public Schools 

Via Twitter July 17, 2019

This started out to be a story about Richmond Public Schools’ most recent effort to rezone schools and the frustrations and finger-pointing that efforts like that always devolve into, despite all the best intentions.  

But something happened along the way and it became a story about being surprised by hope. 

Since the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court decision,  efforts to rezone Richmond’s  public schools have always been contentious and challenging,  given that the city is the former capitol of the Confederacy and the birthplace of Massive Resistance. 

Richmond’s public schools have suffered from decades of benign neglect, barely disguised racism and the patrician paternalism of the city’s noblesse oblige business leaders who love to tell people how much they care about our children.  

But sadly, many of these same self-described good samaritans invariably end up investing in complicated tax schemes to build arts centers, stadiums, a state-of-the-arts sports medicine facility and the best turf money can buy for the Redskins to practice on three weeks a year, investments that suck resources away from city children, despite the blue-sky promises and projections of mayor and business leaders.   

According to Forbes Magazine, the Redskins are the fourth most valuable NFL franchise at $3.1 billion, a five percent increase from a year ago and yet, we are still paying for the fields, the facility and the privilege of hosting them three weeks a year.  Most recently, civic activists are battling with a development group led by Thomas Farrell, CEO of Dominion Power, that wants to build a coliseum projected to cost more than a billion dollars.

Still, despite great odds and the great wealth in some parts of our city and the extreme poverty in other parts,  Kamras says he remains determined to fix the school system and to fight on behalf of the city’s children and their families whose voices are not usually heard in policy debates at Richmond City Hall, except when mentioned by ambitious politicians adept at glib sound bites.  

Kamras knew from the git-go that our school system was in trouble and that 39 percent of the children live at or below the poverty rate, according to the most recent data from the Annie E. Casey Foundation.  And he soon discovered that Richmond is a town full of colorful characters all with agendas and intriguing tales that could make the courts of French and English monarchies seem dull. 

When Kamras first came to town he told a story about life in City Hall.  He recounted how people in the various political factions and social classes in the city had pulled him aside and whispered warnings about how people in other groups all had “agendas" and with faces full of concern told him that he "needed to be careful."

And he confessed to those gathered in the various rooms to hear what the “new guy” had to say that he, too, had an agenda.  “My agenda is this -- I am going to fix your schools with your help and I will never stop fighting on behalf of our children and grandchildren. If I say something wrong, I want you to tell me.”

  

Through it all, however, Kamras kept his game-face on.   

Kristen Larson, 4th-District City Council member and a former member of the School Board, recalls when, at the height of a brutal budget hearing, the Mayor, CAO Selena Cuffee-Glenn and their respective entourages got angry and huffed and puffed their way out of City Council Chambers, Kamras remained seated with documents stacked on his lap and his hands neatly folded atop the papers.  “It was actually pretty funny and kinda sweet in that he remained seated and was so very polite,” she recalled with a laugh.  “He was definitely focused on the task at hand." 

Perhaps it was the heat and humidity that prompted Kamras, to take leave of his senses and post a tweet likening the criticism of some parents to a draft plan to “pair” William Fox and John B. Cary Elementary Schools to sounding “eerily like Massive Resistance 2.0.”  [Click here to find out more about Massive Resistance.]

Why would a guy who is clearly dedicated and determined to get our schools right for the sake of Richmond’s children, begin a long overdue  and most necessary rezoning process  north of the James River instead of on the south side where three new schools are being built to relieve overcrowding?  

RPS is a system that enrolls nearly 24,000 students and comprises 25 elementary schools, one charter school, seven middle schools, five comprehensive high schools and three specialty schools.

Could the Sisyphean challenge of serving as the city’s fourth k-12 superintendent in the past 10 years and the most recent irrefutable data from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) that shows RPS has the lowest reading scores and lowest graduation rate in the Commonwealth be starting to wear him down?  Insiders told me that he recently received his annual review and that a clear majority remains pleased with his job performance.

Board members acknowledged privately that they know many of the problems the system grapples with today preceded both Kamras and former superintendent, Dana Bedden. 

He acknowledges that he and his administration have been repeatedly blindsided by the layers of problems stretching back decades and they are confident that they have plans to tackle long-standing problems as well the ones no one expects, but which must be handled nonetheless.

And here is where this story becomes one of being surprised by hope.  In a town where elected leaders rarely back down from saying stupid things, Kamras stepped back. Sort of.  

And while he did not outright apologize for basically suggesting that race was at the heart of some parents’ criticism, Kamras showed leadership and sensitivity and gave a more nuanced explanation to his initial response.   

He clearly believes it is his job to tell the truth -- even if it hurts -- and that someone has to ask those hard questions that lead to those difficult, but necessary, discussions that will transform our schools into citadels of success.  

This is what he said in his weekly letter to parents. [And, I quote it in full, lest anyone suggest I am taking anything out of context.]

“First, some of the initial comments that were captured were concerning in that they sounded similar to the kinds of things that many families said to resist integration in the 1950s and 1960s. To be clear, I'm not equating then and now; much is different today. But we still very clearly live with the legacy of that era. If we're going to move forward as a school division and city, we need to have honest conversations about race and class. That doesn't mean one can't critique this proposal. It's far from perfect. But it does mean that the goal - increased diversity in our schools - must prevail.  

"Second, I have received a great deal of feedback from families of all backgrounds - via e-mail and in person - that have supported the idea of pairing these two schools. In fact, I believe these families actually make up the overwhelming majority of both school communities.

"Third, the goal here is greater diversity in our schools - not the implementation of any one idea or proposal. I would be surprised if any of the initial ideas put forth ended up in the final draft without some modification. The point of this process is to surface the very best thinking of the community to achieve our overarching goals.

"Fourth, I continue to believe that achieving greater diversity in our schools is critical because it benefits ALL students. As recent research from three professors at Teachers College Columbia indicates, "the benefits of school diversity run in all directions." Among the benefits for ALL students who attend racially and economically diverse schools: higher SAT scores, higher student satisfaction, higher levels of creative thinking, lower drop-out rates, and reduced levels of implicit bias. Let's be careful not to cast integration as a "fix" for a so-called "failing" school. To be more direct: low-income children and children of color don't need high-income children and white children to be successful. The point is simply this: diverse learning environments have tremendous benefits for all children. We are blessed to have a diverse city. It would be shame not to leverage that inherent strength.

"Fifth, there's more to discuss when it comes to rezoning than just the Fox-Cary pairing. There are many important decisions to be made all across the city. For example, should we close the Thompson building and create three middle school zones on the south side with Boushall, Browne, and the new middle school on Hull Street? Should we also recommend building a new Thompson as part of an updated facilities plan? What about recommending a new elementary on the southside to further alleviate overcrowding? If so, where should it be? Should we close Bellevue (as was raised at the last RAC meeting) and send those students to the new Mason ES? Should we consider a pairing of Holton and Ginter Park to increase diversity on the northside? Should we explore changes to Munford's zone to increase diversity there? ... We have much to discuss and we need to hear all voices.”

This rezoning and redistricting effort will be a high-stakes test for Kamras, his administration and our city.  Will we finally be able to work together to create the schools that our children and grandchildren deserve? 

As noted Jonathan Young, the 4th-District School Board member: "A native of Richmond, I can both boast on our triumphs and bemoan our sins but what I cannot do is fail to either acknowledge our extraordinary progress or concede how far we still have to go.”