School Board Candidate Larcheveque: The Right Path For Children

Republican candidate for Board of Education Joe Larcheveque shares his perspective on city schools.

As Election Day approaches, the urgency seems clear. The current Board of Education is mired in distrust and incivility. Our children are not learning and not achieving at the same level as other school districts. Teachers and staff are overburdened and many of our parents and family members do not receive the guidance and support needed to make sound decisions on their children’s education. We have programs that are underfunded and there seems to be little initiative on behalf of the board to get creative. Unfortunately the campaign rhetoric from the Democrats and the Working Families Party candidates gives me little comfort that things will change after this election if they are successful. I fear they will have little patience for discussion since their minds appear to be made up on the matters that should require significant constructive debate.

These candidates have put forward their concerns. They choose to concentrate on the removal of the superintendent whom they deem as the poster child for the district’s many issues. With that comes an assault on any alternative model that challenges traditional public education. I have three kids in public school and want to assure they and others receive the best education. However, the traditional public school paradigm has failed low-income, urban students with little to no change in strategy from year to year. Perhaps the motto for some public education districts should be “Years of tradition unimpeded by progress.”

Our children are counting on us to move forward with creative ideas that improve their schools. We must put an end to policies and programs that fail our kids and implement strategies that afford every Bridgeport child a high-quality education and hope for a bright future. Common Core standards, the merits of standardized testing with timely feedback to teachers, and alternative school options must be scrutinized and debated to see what will and will not work here.

I do believe parents and families should have choices when deciding which educational institution is best for their children. Top-performing magnet and charter schools have achieved amazing results in closing the achievement gap for urban students. Not only do many non-traditional models have proven track records of academic success, they provide increased dollars to the district and can lessen the potential burden on the taxpayer. A watchful board must work hard to assure that enrollment is open to all children. Lottery systems must not exclude students based on economic, social or special-needs criteria.

Fellow candidates have put forward misleading statements warning voters our schools will fall victim to for-profit corporate reformers. I am firmly against any for-profit corporations running our schools. The good news is, the state agrees and the formation of for-profit institutions is not allowed.

Also, we must work collaboratively to create the same excitement and standards of excellence in our traditional schools. The board must change educational and administrative procedures that are based more on tradition than results. Many of the tools and instructional pathways that succeed in the other models can be implemented with cooperative work between an effective board, a forward-thinking leadership team, and a student-centered union that sees the benefits of bringing the district forward and being part of an educational renaissance in Bridgeport.

Since the future of our children is at stake, the board is no place for people who service their own agendas by aggressively undermining those around them.

I am bullish on our children. As I visit the schools and see the joy and life in our young children’s eyes, how can I not be? There are challenges ahead, however we should continue to try new things and to advance children-centered ideas and policies. If we fail because we couldn’t get out of our own way or see past our own hyperbole for the good of our children, the damage will be devastating. It is after all, about the children.