School Problems

The president of San Diego Unified School Board has recently called for smaller class size and higher pay in certain schools south of Interstate 8, which consistently fail to meet district goals for black and Latino students.

Shirley Weber’s preliminary suggestions have ignited a storm of controversy and protest. However, as an elementary school teacher who has worked in Southeast San Diego schools and been active in the San Diego Teachers Assn., there are several important facts which I believe are not being adequately addressed in this debate.

Dr. Weber’s proposal to reduce class size in black and Latino schools makes sense. However, we can’t reduce class size unless there are classrooms available, nor can we lose sight of the fact that current class sizes, which may appear to be equal, are often not equal at all.

For example, if the school grounds are tiny and the facility rundown, if a multitrack schedule jams 25% more kids on the site, if hundreds of the most involved neighborhood families opt to bus their kids to “majority” schools, is it any surprise that the kids who stay behind have problems learning, and the teachers have problems teaching?

Only rapid school construction in the San Diego and Hoover High School areas will bring real equity. Once these real facilities problems are resolved we can begin to provide more teacher time for kids who need additional help.

I’ve also come to understand that some teachers and many parents north of I-8 genuinely believe federal Title 1 and other monies “make up” for the difficulties of working in inner-city schools. Believe me, an extra VCR or site resource teacher does not make up for 1,200 students crammed into a school made for 700; it does not make up for moving your classroom every three weeks as a part of a multitrack schedule; it does not make up for the tremendous student turnover rate; nor do these federal monies make up for the social crisis of crime, violence, drug and gang activity present in several inner-city areas. Finally, everyone must recognize that federal monies have in no way kept pace with population growth.

Dropout rates and test scores are sending us a message that our inner-city schools are in serious trouble. The playing field really is not even for kids in these schools, and we must make significant changes in the way we do business.

PETER BROWN, San Diego