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Caution: blog post about politics
I don’t vote in the People’s Republic of New Haven, but I like what an aldermanic candidate has to say.
Daniel Sumrall is the New Haven Green Party candidate for the 7th ward. Aside from the usual Green Party platforms (everyone must ride their bikes from their solar-powered dwellings to their nonprofit jobs), Sumrall is willing to get all up in the face of New Haven parents who treat school as just some place their kid goes for seven hours.
Here’s his proposals:
- Parents must volunteer 20 hours per year in their kid’s school. They’ll be given plenty of choices, tailored to their interests and talents. In other words, if dad likes to build stuff, he can show a class how to make a birdhouse.
- If a student exceeds the allowable absent days, the parents get fined $250 per day for every missed day thereafter. Ouch, that hurts, but it’s up to the parents to make sure their kid is in school. Don’t resort to what Bridgeport is doing: bribes like a laptop raffle for kids who stay in school for 90 straight days.
Those two things are definitely sticks, but here’s his carrot:
- Keep schools open until 6 p.m. Households with two working parents have it rough. School lets out at 2 or 3 p.m. and kids with working parents are either unsupervised or their parents are paying for child care. There’s got to be some state or federal grant that can pay for an extended hours program at a few of the schools.
Sumrall does not appear to be parent, so I suppose some moms and dads might argue with his hardline stance. But show me a troubled kid and I’ll show you an uninvolved parent.
Daniel Sumrall is the New Haven Green Party candidate for the 7th ward. Aside from the usual Green Party platforms (everyone must ride their bikes from their solar-powered dwellings to their nonprofit jobs), Sumrall is willing to get all up in the face of New Haven parents who treat school as just some place their kid goes for seven hours.
Here’s his proposals:
- Parents must volunteer 20 hours per year in their kid’s school. They’ll be given plenty of choices, tailored to their interests and talents. In other words, if dad likes to build stuff, he can show a class how to make a birdhouse.
- If a student exceeds the allowable absent days, the parents get fined $250 per day for every missed day thereafter. Ouch, that hurts, but it’s up to the parents to make sure their kid is in school. Don’t resort to what Bridgeport is doing: bribes like a laptop raffle for kids who stay in school for 90 straight days.
Those two things are definitely sticks, but here’s his carrot:
- Keep schools open until 6 p.m. Households with two working parents have it rough. School lets out at 2 or 3 p.m. and kids with working parents are either unsupervised or their parents are paying for child care. There’s got to be some state or federal grant that can pay for an extended hours program at a few of the schools.
Sumrall does not appear to be parent, so I suppose some moms and dads might argue with his hardline stance. But show me a troubled kid and I’ll show you an uninvolved parent.
posted by Kid You Not at
2:11 PM
3 Comments:
I love it.
I think that what we need is a tough stance on parent involvement in our schools. As a parent that both works part time and goes to grad school part time I understand the hardships of scheduling and volunteering...but it is not impossible. It takes a priority assessment and a little sacrifice. But if your child's education isn't worth that, then what the hell is?
Those are pretty good ideas, especially the extended hours. Needs a little tweaking, but the concept is good. It might also have a good snowball effect -- if the parents have to be a part of their kids' education, then maybe they will also become more involved in how their kid does in school. Cool!
Thanks for taking note of the issue. It's good to hear constructive comments.
I don't have any kids by the way. But I teach 25 students developmental composition every semester at Manchester Community College. And I hope to volunteer for New Haven's Juvenile Review Board (which I encourage you all to look into as well).
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