Work with Académie Lafayette to find solutions to aim higher for KC kids
The Kansas City school board has to stay focused on what’s best for the children in the district to continue its march toward full accreditation. That should include resuming talks with Académie Lafayette to have the successful charter school run an International Baccalaureate high school at Southwest Early College Campus.
Outbursts from about 100 people to permanently kill the proposal shut down the May 27 school board meeting, and opponents threatened to similarly disrupt the next meeting, on Wednesday. That’s not the way to move Kansas City Public Schools forward. It actually takes the district back to painful days of adult bickering and infighting when no one seemed to care about what was best for the kids’ academic success.
Opponents of a new International Baccalaureate high school oppose the admissions process that would guarantee seats for Académie Lafayette’s eighth-grade graduates but require Kansas City district students to pass a test to enroll or meet other standards. The majority of the current Southwest students would have to go elsewhere. Opponents also fear the new school would negatively affect enrollment at Lincoln College Preparatory Academy in an East Side neighborhood.
Such thinking handcuffs the district and its students to low expectations instead of realizing that a second high-performing college prep school could attract more high-achieving students of all colors. If opponents would work with district and Académie Lafayette officials for the children, the district could overcome its awful, segregated history and find a solution to satisfy everyone.
The recently announced departure of Superintendent Steve Green brings a new uncertainty to the district after four years of his rebuilding effort on the way to a hoped-for full accreditation. His successor must bring a steady hand to that goal, maintain the stability Green fostered and get talks back on track with Académie Lafayette.
A lot is riding on the district aiming high. The Stowers Foundation has pledged $2 million with civic promises of up to $15 million more for the new school. Mayor Sly James also has supported resuming talks.
People have to look optimistically at what the International Baccalaureate high school would do for the Kansas City district and its students. Instead of draining resources, it would elevate academic performance and competitiveness. No one should be satisfied with the way things are because it’s not good enough for all of Kansas City’s kids.
This story was originally published June 5, 2015 at 10:00 AM.