The Urban and Rural Renewal Committee is accountable for developing recommendations for a plan to intervene and improve persistently poor performing schools and districts. Poor performing schools and districts as define by the Department of Education are those in school improvement status for four of the five most recent schools years; whose performance index score places them in the bottom 5 percent of schools statewide for three of the five most recent school years; or have a value-added progress dimension grade of “F” for three of the five most recent school years.
Unfortunately, the Lima schools fall in the guidelines set by the Department of Education which determine its status as poor performing district. Furthermore, this status is determined by student performance on skills in reading, math, science and social studies.
However, Mary Rose Oakar, former U.S. congresswoman from Ohio and chairperson of the committee, would rather irresponsibly play politics in statements expressed to the public. Oakar raised transportation issues as an outcome of dropout rates without data given to the public. Also, she failed to talk about the high suspension rates of minority students which affect student performance.
The Lima schools have always had excellent course offerings at the high school level but that programming is not in question. The issues are the performance levels of students on state mandate assessments in basic content areas and until that process changes it is something that all schools must effectively deal with as well as any variables affecting those outcomes.
There are all types of variables that affect student performance, but it is obvious that the present school board is ineffective in governing the district. The football coach would likely be replaced if he is not producing a winning team. The priority of any district should be its academics instead of the playing field.
— Ronald Fails, president of the Lima chapter of the NAACP
