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Black voter apathy and depressed turnout in the most recent
midterm election can arguably be attributed to the top of
the gubernatorial election ticket. With the imploding of the
Ed FitzGerald campaign, most voters stayed home, resigned to
accept the inevitable reelection of John Kasich as Ohio
governor. The fact that a weak Democratic candidate for
governor affected almost every other state or local race was
hardly a surprise either.
However, the unexpected and unprecedented action by Toledo
City Council on the TPS levy may have also chilled local
voter enthusiasm and affected outcomes.
A
resolution by Councilman Lindsay Webb to endorse the Toledo
Public Schools’ 5.8-mil levy was abruptly tabled with no
discussion after Webb later changed her mind. Council’s
refusal to support the levy was likely the first time that
this has happened. The surface but official explanation was
that there was “a need for additional information that was
not available” because TPS Superintendent Romules Durant,
Ed.D, was away in Milwaukee making a presentation on behalf
of the district.
Indeed, the refusal to endorse the TPS levy is strange given
the presence of five African Americans on Toledo City
Council.
The progress at TPS has been astounding given Durant’s
ascendancy to interim Superintendent April 9, 2013, and to
the permanent position last December.
In barely over a year, the district has implemented best
practices from around the world, built new strategic
partnerships with African-American community organizations,
made new alliances with the business community and improved
test scores and district report cards to the degree that a
public school district as large and diverse as TPS now
outshines its Ohio urban peers.
Perhaps most remarkable is that there is an enthusiasm,
excitement and pride among students that has not previously
existed. Students have gone from not coming to TPS, or
coming with indifference, defiance and little educational
self-esteem to being excited and proud to go to school under
Durant’s leadership. Enrollment this year has increased at
TPS for the first time in 20 years.
Why then, did TPS receive Hateration instead of Celebration?
And why did Toledo City Council attempt to knock Durant back
down a notch, chill the enthusiasm of Toledo’s children and
pour cold water on the district’s momentum?
It appears that Council’s own conflicted internal demons may
have prevented its members from putting their small
individual agendas down for the betterment of the community.
Outwardly, Councilman Larry Sykes reportedly expressed a
desire to debate the issue and wanted to know how the levy
proceeds would be spent, but “still harbors grudges with
some current TPS board members,” according to persons close
to the situation.
Councilman Theresa Gabriel, according to sources, was
“convinced that if public discussion took place that Earl
Murry, community curmudgeon, would bring 50 people to
council chambers to bitch about the former EOPA/CDI Head
Start teachers who were not hired or retained by TPS even
though nearly 80 percent of them didn’t possess the
credentials that the federal government requires.”
Webb, who “has a reputation of flip-flopping on issues or
backing out when flustered,” was “spooked by the drama and
decided to table the issue rather than witness an ish
fight.”
What does this say about the state of our community?
It says that small minds are unable to think
about large issues and lack the ability to coordinate a
strategy among themselves.
It also says that Toledoans are unwilling to lay their small
agendas aside for the good of children and large progress.
Despite TPS’ preeminence among urban Ohio schools and
all of the challenges presented to urban education by the
effects of poverty that other districts don’t have to deal
with,
African Americans and others seem to want to drag TPS back
into the crawfish barrel.
Instead, we should continue to look at the strides made by
TPS over the past year and imagine where the district might
be two, three, four or five years from now if we continue
the momentum and keep the fire of enthusiasm burning.
We all, then, can be “TPS Proud” because an investment in
children is an investment in the community and because TPS
is a part of the community that we call home.
Contact Rev. Donald Perryman, D.Min, at
drdlperryman@centerofhopebaptist.org |
