Mayor Terry McDonald of New Haven understands a community won’t prosper without strong schools, and so he’s rightfully concerned when he sees the two New Haven-area high schools lagging far behind other East Allen County Schools.
But McDonald also knows that $900 million of the school district’s assessed valuation lies within the attendance areas of those two schools, tying the district’s fate to the well-being of New Haven and Adams Township.
“Unless this community is successful, this school district can’t be successful,” he said. “We want to make sure our students have an equal chance.”
He has created a task force to ensure the city and township will have a stronger voice in shaping district decisions, particularly in light of its projected $10 million budget shortfall. The task force, headed by Bob Walda, isn’t intended to micromanage the district but to become a partner to the district in raising achievement in the New Haven and Adams Township schools.
The disparities within the district likely represent the most stark contrast within any Indiana school district. Leo Junior-Senior High School was recently named a National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, with almost 80 percent of students passing both portions of the ISTEP+ exam.
Paul Harding High School, in Adams Township, is on academic probation, with just under 29 percent of its students passing both math and English on the ISTEP+ test. New Haven High School had a passing rate of 48.1 percent.
Ideally, the mayor’s office shouldn’t have to advocate for better educational opportunities for residents. But a community’s fortune is inextricably tied to its schools. An elected official is derelict in his or her duties in not acknowledging that poor schools discourage businesses from expanding or locating in a city, or that residents will choose other communities if they are dissatisfied.
McDonald said he has met with Karyle Green, the new East Allen superintendent, and he is encouraged by her plans to improve curriculum across the board. He said the task force won’t be an adversary.
“We’re not going to be pounding our fists on the table and demanding that a school not be closed, but as a school board member told me many years ago, New Haven and Adams Township are never very loud in speaking up,” the mayor said. “This is our effort at trying to be the squeaky wheel.”
The task force’s visible support for improving opportunity across the district might be just what’s needed to break the status quo mentality that has gripped East Allen for too many years. The school board has a model for excellence in Leo Junior-Senior High – it simply needs the impetus to change district policies so that all of its schools can put the model in place.
McDonald deserves some credit for taking on a tremendous challenge as cities grapple with their own revenue problems. It’s a testament to the mayor’s understanding of his role that he knows New Haven’s situation won’t improve without the school district’s improvements.
