I’ve been robust in my criticism of local education reformers who blast the ills of the Indianapolis Public Schools, while ignoring issues connected with IPS that concern large segments of our African-American community.
Worse, these educational reformers like the mostly white Democrats for Education Reform plus The Mind Trust and Stand for Children forget the bigoted history of Indianapolis Public Schools. A history that includes Ku Klux Klan control in the early 20th century; a history where IPS was found guilty by a federal court of systematic racial segregation.
Instead of taking that history of institutionalized racism into account, these education reformers harp on IPS’ current sins, including a top heavy administrative structure.
There is some truth that IPS has too many administrators. And IPS’ current $30 million deficit does put pressure on the board to find ways of cutting the fat.
But in the school reformers first action, IPS is embarking down a road that reminds many of IPS’ discriminatory past.
Late last week, a source said IPS was planning to permanently ax scores of “classified employees.” Classified IPS employees are those who serve in schools and administration but who don’t hold teaching or administrator licenses.
Several months ago, both classified and certified employees were placed on notice that their contracts wouldn’t be renewed for the 2013-2014 school year.
Certified employees are folks like principals, heads of administrative departments and assistant or associate superintendents. Classified employees include athletic coaches, administrators in charge of discipline at middle and high schools, behavior specialists, classroom monitors. Other classified employees hold clerical or non teaching administrative positions. Some are secretaries.
Two months ago, in one of her first actions, Interim Superintendent Dr. Peggy Hinckley rescinded the ax for several top certified administrators, including key building principals.
This week, Hinckley recommended that 10 more top certified administrators be retained for next school year. Included in that group was Pat Payne, IPS’ well respected director of multicultural education.
But at this column’s deadline, several sources told me to examine the list of personnel Hinckley was giving the permanent ax to.
I read a list of 59 individuals. Some I knew were Black. Other names and positions had me thinking they were Black.
I thought maybe 40 perhaps 50 percent of the 59 might be Black.
I was wrong. At deadline, sources confirmed to me that 44 of the 59 were Black. That’s 74.6 percent getting the ax. That’s outrageously disproportionate.
While not confirming the race/ethnicity of the 59 at column’s deadline, IPS did confirm that axing the 59 would save the district a whopping $2,909,528.90. Just 9.7 percent of IPS’ projected $30 million deficit.
Interestingly, there is no information on IPS’ website about the racial diversity of its employees.
The only data I could find were from the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) and just for certified teachers.
The IDOE data for IPS employees was three years old from the 2010-2011 school year. And the lack of diversity is stunning.
Of a total of 2,190 teachers, only 323 or 13.8 percent were African-American. A paltry 48 or 2.2 percent were Hispanic. Other races and “multi-racial” comprise 54 teachers or 2.4 percent of the total. The balance, 1,765 teachers, 80.6 percent of the total certified teaching staff are non-Hispanic whites.
So it begs the question with the certified teaching staff at IPS overwhelmingly white, then why are the layoffs of classified employees overwhelmingly Black?
For years, IPS employees were divided into two separate and unequal groups. Certified, professional educators who, despite a number of Black administrators, is predominantly white.
While classified employees, including support staff, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers are, if not predominately Black, substantially Black.
If education reformers want to reduce IPS’ personnel, it must be done in a fair and equitable manner. Balancing IPS’ budget on the backs of African-American IPS employees is morally corrupt and venal.
If the increasingly Keystone Kops IPS School Board ratifies Hinckley’s wrongheaded recommendations then shame on them. And woe be the individual this board hires as the next permanent head of a school system where Black employees are sacrificed at the altar of school reform pushed mostly by whites.
What I’m hearing
in the street
Scott Miller, the former entrepreneur and head of the city’s economic development agency, who was tapped to head the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce in October 2011, resigned suddenly last week.
Miller seemingly was brought in to orchestrate the merger of the chamber with Develop Indy the city’s economic development area. A decision out of character for a major city’s Chamber of Commerce which is supposed to articulate the views and feedback of a city’s business community; not be a separate economic engine.
Not only was the Chamber a strong force in building the modern Indianapolis, but they were a bridge between the business community and other power centers in the community. Past Indy Chamber presidents were visible throughout the community articulating sound, coherent views of the business community to the entire community.
He may have been a great entrepreneur, but Scott Miller was ill suited to lead the Indy Chamber, as I wrote when he was named.
Under Miller’s lack of leadership, the chamber was virtually silent on major issues such as education.
On other vital city issues, Miller’s chamber was silent, including taking the wimpy stand of saying nothing about the radical UniGov power grab plan. Thus marking the first time the Indianapolis’ business community stood mute on a major issue of Indianapolis governance.
The Indy Chamber needs a leader willing to speak for the business community and not be afraid to talk to all Indianapolis constituencies. Not just the ones Mayor Greg Ballard tells that chamber president who he will or won’t talk to.
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CORRECTION: In last week’s column, I mislabeled Senator Young. I confused Republican Sen. R. Michael Young, the author of the heinous UniGov Ballard power grab bill with Democratic Sen. Richard Young, who joined with Senate Democrats to stand up against the GOP tyranny. My apologies for the error.
See ‘ya next week.
Email comments to acbrown@aol.com.
