Time To Change the Worcester School Committee

Time To Change the Worcester School Committee

A way to change the Worcester School Committee for the better is change the Worcester City Charter to include district school committee members. The districts would be based on the four City high schools quadrant. Another requirement would be that these district school committee members have a child in the Worcester public schools.

 The Worcester School Committee consists today of sincere and knowledgeable people. Unfortunately they do not vigorously represent the student population of the Worcester Schools.

It is no secret that the Worcester School District student population is becoming more poor, more foreign born, and with more students with dark skin.  The Worcester School Committee has not become representative of them.

The last Latina on the School Committee is Hilda Ramirez. The last school committee member, that I recall, with children in the Worcester School District is Tracy O’Connell Novick. Both ladies were defeated after they vigorously defended students against the adverse impact of the racist school to jail policies.

The Worcester School Committee is entirely White and without children in the Worcester School district. For the most part they are the same people who hired a favorite daughter, principal from South High School, to be Superintendent of Worcester Schools. This was a disappointment as the then acting Superintendent was Latino, spoke Spanish, and had a Doctorate. The present Superintendent has none of these qualities.

At the last election Dante Carparretto was elected to the School Committee replacing a Tea Party sympathizer. Although a good man Dante has no children in the Worcester Schools.

Presently the Worcester City Charter requires that school committee candidates run an election throughout the entire city which allows the more affluent voters an advantage over the poorer, foreign born, or dark skin populations.

Many White parent just send their children to public grammar schools and afterward to the parochial high School. Many Black and Latino parents do the same. The Public high schools populations consist to a larger extent that the elementary schools low income, foreign born, special needs, and dark skin students. Which means that they are underrepresented at the decision making levels of government. 

There are several pockets of voters who have no children in public schools and seem intent on restricting public education and promoting racist school to jail policies. The Tea Party and especially a right blogger have harmed the public school systems.

A similar system of district representation is working well in Worcester City Council where there are Black, White, and Latino Councillors.  The district representation allows all parts of the City a voice in government.