DAYTON — A school superintendent fires back at a state lawmaker’s plan to close the lowest performing 5 percent of schools in the state.
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Dayton Public Schools Superintendent David Lawrence said this is just another attack on public schools.
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“This is unfair because it punishes the least of us,” Lawrence said.
He said educators don’t want to throw any kids away, and the lowest performing schools are typically filled with students facing the biggest challenges.
Lawrence spoke with News Center 7’s Mike Campbell outside of Thurgood Marshall High School, which is named after the first Black Supreme Court Justice.
He believes Marshall would fight for students, not close their educational paths.
“So you get rid of 5 percent, then you have another one and get ready again,” Lawrence said. “So it’s a continuous cycle where you continue to destabilize public schools, and I don’t think that’s fair.”
Senate Bill 127 would close low-performing schools when they meet three criteria:
- They offer grade levels above third grade
- The Department of Education ranks the performance index in the bottom 5 percent of all schools in the state
- The school is in the bottom 10 percent of all ranked school buildings in the state in the value-added progress dimension
One conservative education group, the Fordham Foundation, claims the bill also holds charter schools accountable.
“It appropriately removes earlier provisions that would have allowed persistently struggling charter schools to reorganize instead of close,” the group said.
But Lawrence doesn’t see a level playing field with charter schools.
“Have less restrictions, less oversight, and the camera’s not on them nearly as much,” he said. “So, it’s not just Senate Bill 127; we’re being faced with insurmountable odds sometimes and hurdles as we try to educate all kids.”
Dayton Public Schools is sending representatives to Columbus on Tuesday to testify against this bill as the opponent testimony gets a chance to be heard.
They’re also asking parents to let their lawmakers know if they’re opposed to the proposal.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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