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Councilman Greg Stanton's
My Turn Column
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 24, 2004
This is a time of change at the city of Phoenix . We have a new mayor, Phil Gordon, who brings with him new ideas and a commitment to work with the City Council and the community to bring positive change. We are entering a new economy -- one with high paying jobs requiring high skill levels. Phoenix is poised to be a new economy leader -- but only if we work together with other area cities to provide a unified front nationally and internationally and only (and especially) if we work hard to achieve the highest quality education system possible. Without a high quality education system, our venture into the new economy will be stifled.
As chair of the City Council Education, Genomics and Culture Subcommittee, I have been fortunate to help lead the entry of our community into the new economy as we have made a significant investment in TGen and I have worked with the ASU, U of A, NAU and the Maricopa Community Colleges since 2001 to create a downtown Phoenix higher education/ research campus. I am pleased Mayor Gordon has announced his strong support for these efforts. However, we will only be successful in bringing the high quality jobs and long-term economic development opportunities that go along with our new economy investments if we make an equally strong commitment to our public schools.
The new economy demands that we change the way we educate and the way we view education. It is for these reasons I have made improving our partnerships with public schools the highest priority of the education subcommittee.
Some ask why the city of Phoenix should be involved in education. The answer is clear -- who else has more at stake in terms of long-term quality of life, decreasing crime, economic development, and leadership training? The city maintains a $65 million annual commitment to youth development. We have created programs to ensure kids are safe going to and from school, we maintain high quality after-school programs at over 160 schools in the city, we partner with school districts to place police officers in schools as positive role models, we have award-winning reading programs for youth at our public libraries and thousands of kids each year participate in our youth sports and arts programs.
However, because education is essential to realizing the potential of our community, we cannot afford to just maintain the status quo. Recently, the City Council enacted additional programs demonstrating our commitment to education partnerships:
- After-School Excellence Initiative
We are working with superintendents and principals at “underperforming” schools to improve our after-school programs. Learning doesn't have to end when the final bell rings. Educational achievement can be enhanced with curriculum-based programs, logic skills, games, language development, movement, labs, and recreational activities.
This After-School Excellence Initiative program is designed to improve academic achievement, increase school attendance, encourage parental/family involvement, foster community-based partnerships and create a safe haven during the crucial time between 3 and 6 p.m.
Another critical time is the transition between eighth and ninth grade. Last summer the city created the High School Connection program to target students who were truant in the eighth grade and send them a postcard reminding them to register for high school. This was followed with calls to more than 500 of the youth who weren't registered to give them school registration information.
Students fall through the cracks easily and through this program, the city took an extra step to keep them on the educational path.
Once students drop out, it is very easy for them to lose their way back and the city has developed yet another navigational tool to help lead them back to the classroom. For the third time, the city hosted “33A Su Lado,” or “33 On Your Side” with Univision, Ch. 33, and know99 Television. A panel of students who dropped out and returned to school answered questions about returning to school from more than 1,000 students and parents who called the program.
This program's success proves that people will take advantage of information and resources when they are made available. It's the city's job to keeping making the information and resources accessible to everyone.
Individually, there are many of us who care passionately about education. But it takes all of us collectively – schools, parents, cities, businesses, faith communities and non-profits – to make a difference. I am confident our community will rise to the challenges that these changes present, and I look forward to our community realizing the benefit of our investments.
Greg Stanton is a Phoenix City Councilman representing District 6 and chairs the City Council Education, Culture and Genomics subcommittee.
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