Sunday, August 10, 2008
Two days after the Waco school board voted, 4-3, to close G.L. Wiley Middle School amid protests by parents, students and East Waco community leaders, board president David Schleicher sat down for an interview with the Tribune-Herald. He discussed the school’s low enrollment, efforts to hike sagging state test scores and the hopes the board has for Wiley students this school year.
Q They say the most important job a school board does is pick a superintendent, but the most painful has to be closing a school. Where does the Waco school district go from here?
A First for me is making sure that building has a good use, whether as a school or professional development center or something we haven’t thought of yet. We have to make absolutely certain it doesn’t end up like the R.L. Smith (school) building. It was sold to a charter school that went out of business. Now it’s boarded up and has tax issues.
Multimedia
Photos: East Waco residents speak out at packed board meeting
Video: Watch what the community had to say
10-18-08 Waco ISD officials pledge G.L. Wiley, Doris Miller school campuses won't go empty
09-03-08 G.L. Wiley group ends lawsuit
08-30-08 Judge backs Waco school board's controversial closure of Wiley Middle School
08-29-08 Judge to rule on Wiley injunction this morning
08-28-08 Talk of racial discrimination again surfaces in G.L. Wiley hearings
08-27-08 Waco ISD trustee, G.L. Wiley principal among witnesses in court hearing on injunction to keep school open
08-26-08 Wiley reopens as Waco ISD trustees vote again to close its doors
08-23-08 Waco ISD administrators to helm Wiley classes on Monday
08-22-08 Judge approves restraining order reopening Wiley for first day of class Monday
08-21-08 Racial discrimination lawsuit and injunction filed to stop Wiley's closure
08-18-08 Waco ISD officials trying to ease Wiley students' move to their new schools
08-12-08 Group taps attorneys to consider challenges to Wiley's closure
08-11-08 East Waco leaders announce effort to hire legal help over Wiley's closing
08-10-08 Interview: Waco ISD school board chief looks past G.L. Wiley furor
08-09-08 WISD seeks healing while East Waco leaders mull future amid frustration over Wiley closing
08-09-08 Mayor voices optimism for East Waco, Wiley students
08-09-08 What next: Advice for Wiley Middle School parents on the start of classes
08-08-08 Waco ISD school board votes to close G.L. Wiley Middle School
08-02-08 Education leaders question value, impact of Texas' school-rating system
08-01-08 Waco ISD state ratings offer mixed bag of successes, frustration
07-25-08 WISD unveils options for G.L. Wiley's future
07-24-08 Meeting tonight to discuss G.L. Wiley's future has been cancelled
07-22-08 WISD board meeting Thursday on options for G.L. Wiley's future, including potential closure
06-13-08 Despite continued low rating, G.L. Wiley gets another chance
05-31-08 Waco ISD officials see improvement in TAKS scores
04-14-08 TAKS scores could decide whether G.L. Wiley Middle School remains open
Opinion
08-30-08 Editorial: Beyond G.L. Wiley's court ruling
08-23-08 Editorial: G.L. Wiley turmoil
08-17-08 Letters: G.L. Wiley closing
08-17-08 Jean Laster, guest column: Waco ISD selective about whom it invites to table
08-13-08 Editorial: Future for Wiley?
08-09-08 Editorial: G.L. Wiley closure mishandled
08-07-08 Editorial: Rush job on G.L Wiley
08-06-08 Editorial: Accountability system failing Texas
08-06-08 Nikka Davis, guest column: Waco, don't fail us now
08-03-08 Pat Atkins, guest column: Walls vs. equal opportunities in WISD
07-23-08 Editorial: Future of Wiley
06-15-08 Editorial: Effort at GL Wiley
» Editorial: Rush job on G.L. Wiley (8/7/08)
» Waco ISD: Middle school TAKS passing rates
Q Beyond the building itself, where does the district need to go?
A What I wanted to do the other night was create a task force to come up with something to keep Wiley open but so different that the Texas Education Agency would say, “Regardless of TAKS scores this year, we’ll keep it open.” When that didn’t work, my thought was we still need a task force for what to do with the building. The other thing is to make sure the kids from Wiley are welcomed into the other schools and that, as painful as that transition is, we make it as smooth as possible. The other night, a teacher told me afterward, “What do I do? I’ve taken my stuff to Wiley already, I’ve got kids in student council.” There was nothing you could tell her to make it better. I gave her a hug and she started crying. She said, “I wasn’t going to cry till you hugged me.” It’s going to be painful, no matter what we do.
Q And what is the district doing to make this as painless as possible for kids and parents?
A I’m sure you saw in the paper Chavez Middle School principal Alfredo Loredo saying, “These are our kids, they will be welcomed.” I’ll ask the administration at the next board meeting what has been done to make sure these kids are welcomed into the new schools.
Q You and your colleagues allowed the other night that certain mistakes had been made in the process. Otherwise we wouldn’t be facing all this two weeks before the start of classes.
A Well, the three years I’ve been on the board, the board’s position has always been to do whatever you need to do, use whatever resources you need, to turn Wiley around. I think we did not make it clear enough at the July board meeting that closure was one of the possibilities discussed. And I did not remember until someone mentioned it to me at the board meeting that someone had asked the question about Wiley staying open at a meeting at Carver Academy about the school bond (last spring). That was persuasive to me. If we had said at a bond meeting we’re going to keep Wiley open . . .
Q Do you recall that?
A I didn’t recall it but, I mean, it’s not inconsistent with everything. I went to a lot of meetings. I have no reason to doubt it.
Q You suggested a new purpose for the Wiley campus. Are you thinking an academic purpose?
A One person said, “Oh, could it be used for an administration building?” One person said it’s too small for that. One person from East Waco said, “It has to be a school, it must be some sort of school.” There was that mention (the other night) of a professional development center. R.L. Smith, you look at that building and think it should be demolished and that land given a new chance. But Wiley is such a beautiful building, I’d hate to go that route.
Q Plenty of allegations were hurled about the other night, ranging from quorum issues at committee meetings to outright lying. Any response?
A Commissioner (and community leader) Lester Gibson raised the open meeting concern with me previously and I said I would check with legal counsel and that if we were doing something illegal or borderline improper, I would change it. I’m going to give thought to trying out something like the city council does with a combined work session, then a regular meeting, rather than relying on committee meetings. That’s not because I think what we have is illegal. It’s because I hear continuing concerns from at least one board member about things coming up without that board member knowing of it. Of course, all board members are invited to attend all committee meetings.
Q In past years, our reporting has indicated that Wiley sometimes struggled in terms of parental involvement, though we sure saw plenty of it the other night. Is there a lesson in what has happened with Wiley that all schools, neighborhoods and parents can embrace?
A Well, certainly parents and students are going to be the most persuasive people to the board, or should be, on any issue.
Q Yes, but is there a greater lesson in all this as to how other schools can avoid this, whether in North Waco, East Waco, South Waco or West Waco?
A The parents I talked to from Wiley leading up to this vote — and I encouraged them to come and they did come — they took part in the process and seemed supportive of what their kids did at the school. Now, a number of parents had in effect voted with their feet before that because, over the years, they had gone (transferred their children or moved) to Carver or other middle schools or other districts or private schools.
Q A lot of folks probably agreed with your statement that the state accountability system is “screwed up.” What can we — and in particular, you as board president — do about it, especially with less and less local control over schools?
A Well, it is a state level decision. What I can do is encourage our state legislators — Kip Averitt, Doc Anderson and Jim Dunnam — that our system must take into account not only the things (a school) does but also how much improvement is made. If a school, say, has all parents with Ph.Ds and the kids pass TAKS, it could still be a bad school. On the other hand, if you have a school where the parents have high school diplomas and the kids excel at TAKS, it may very well be a much better school. The system gives no credit for that now.
Q Mayor Virginia DuPuy was at the board meeting the other night and has since voiced her faith in East Waco, the students and the city to persevere. This morning on her Tribune-Herald blog, East Waco leader Carol Dugat passionately questioned what the city of Waco and the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce can do to help relieve the loss in East Waco. Any ideas?
A Well, the mayor has an education summit in November and one of the issues they’re looking at is how the community as a whole can help send kids to school ready to learn. Those years before the school system gets them are critical to how well they do in school once we do have them. I think the city is doing a lot and is wholly supportive of everything we do.
Q Any message for those vowing this isn’t over?
A Well, I will continue to try to build consensus and bring people together to find solutions. Sometimes you risk alienating both sides of an argument if you say, “I’m going to stand in the middle until we find something we can agree on.” As we saw the other night, sometimes you don’t succeed. I know there are people in East Waco who will continue to do that, too. You can’t let this decision stand in the sense, “We’re just going to let Wiley die and that’s the end of the story.” I would not want people to just let that be the end of the story. I would say to keep fighting for a bright future for East Waco and also East Waco as part of our larger community.
— Interview conducted, edited and condensed by Bill Whitaker
Comments
By annie
Aug 11, 2008 3:01 PM | Link to this
How could the board give WISD superintendent a significant pay raise when the school district is in financial trouble. Also, why isn't his pay based on the success of the schools in WISD and the TAKS scores. There are no Exemplary high schools or middle schools in Waco ISD, yet they vote to give the superintendent a pay raise. He brought one of his croonies from Tyler as principal of Waco High, and then the guy just ups and leaves in less than two years. What a waste of money and time on someone who probably only used this time as a stepping stone on his resume. I'm feel pretty confident in saying that this next principal at Waco High will probably also leave very soon. He'll make some money by working at a poor performing school. It'll look good on his resume for his next job. I can't believe that the schoolboard couldn't find a local replacement that new the district and the challenges that the district faces. The majority of school board members and the superintendent should resign their offices. Put someone in those seats who truly care about all the students in WACO ISD, not just the ones who have similiar characteristics to themselves. Citizens, next time they try and pass a bond election - vote it hands DOWN!! The money is being wasted on a superintended who could care less about your child and your district. Time for a new school board and a new superintendent!
By Erica
Aug 11, 2008 2:57 PM | Link to this
Well... if the building is too small to use for administrative purposes, and odds are that it will fall to ruin due to vandals or crack-heads... maybe they should use it as a police sub-station/ admiistration of some sort. Granted, the area of town where the main police station is speaks little of 'police presence' in the area-- but it's something to do with the building rather then let it just sit and rot.
By null
Aug 10, 2008 6:37 PM | Link to this
FRED, CRACK IS WACK!!!!!!!!!!!
By Fred
Aug 10, 2008 8:18 AM | Link to this
The attitude of WISD is.....to hell with East Waco. WISD is too busy "cutting up" the seventy million dollar Bond money-pie for themselves. TEA and the failed TAKS results are not the issue.....giving themselves pay-raises is WISD's priority. They fill their greedy pockets while Waco public education burns. The empty building (that used to be East Waco's GL Wiley school) will fall into disrepair and building "rot". The East Waco vandals will start breaking out the schools windows (like the old Harrison school) and then the East Waco Crack addicts will make GL Wiley another East Waco Crack House......for the addicts to "lay-out" and smoke their Crack.
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