Dr. Gerald Kohn, former superintendent of Harrisburg schools, shared some sobering and unsettling insights when he sat down with PennLive editors last week. But they are probably valid.
First, we should be prepared for the state to remain control for at least a decade – probably longer – if we want to see real and sustained progress inside the classrooms.
Second, it will take at least a decade to right what’s gone wrong with the district – from replacing unqualified staff to maintaining high-caliber, dedicated teachers.
Third, it will take money. That’s the only way to attract and retain quality administrators, principals and teachers who are essential to raising tests scores and equipping Harrisburg’s students for the realities of a competitive world.
None of this is good news for those who want to see immediate improvement after the state takes over the schools. It’s hard to accept that the real possibility that another generation of bright and capable students will be educationally short-changed as the system tries to right itself.
Gerald Kohn, former Harrisburg Superintendent of Schools, meets with the PennLive Editorial Board on June 4, 2019 (Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com)
But Kohn says this is the cold, hard reality of what it will take to repair the damage of almost a decade of mismanagement and ineptitude in Harrisburg schools.
Kohn has the experience and expertise to back up his bleak prognosis for righting Harrisburg’s school system. He served as superintendent from 2000-10, when the district was placed under the control of former Mayor Steve Reed, who recruited Kohn to rescue what then was a failing school district.
When he took charge in 2000, Kohn says only 11 percent of Harrisburg’s students were passing state proficiency exams, according to statistics from the Pennsylvania Education Department. Nine years later, 36 percent were passing. Six years later in 2015, five years after the district was taken out of mayoral control, the percentage of students passing state tests dropped to 12 percent – back where it was 20 years ago, he said.
Brian Yates receives his diploma during the Harrisburg High School commencement at the Farm Show Complex, Harrisburg, Sunday, June 9, 2019. Vicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLiveVicki Vellios Briner | Special to PennLive
His statistics show it took nine years to see an increase in the number of students graduating – from 186 to 503. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Education shows the district had an 82.89 percent graduation rate.
After the state receivership ended, the number fell to 287 in 2015. Harrisburg graduated about 320 seniors in commencement exercises on Sunday.
And, Kohn says his research shows, between 2000-10, the dropout rate was down 53 percent, college admissions were up 419 percent and teen pregnancy declined 50 percent, according to a Penn State University study.
In 2001: Gerald Kohn, left, discusses his ideas for Harrisburg schools as Mayor Stephen Reed watchesHarrisburg Patriot-News
Kohn credits Mayor Reed with shielding him from political interference, including replacing school board members who were not supportive.
Hbg School District Chief Recovery Officer, Dr. Janet C. Samuels speaks about the Recovery Plan at Marshall Math Science Academy. April 24, 2019 Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com PENNLIVE.COM
No one is calling for mayoral control this time around, but if Dr. Janet Samuels is named receiver, as the state is requesting, she will need solid support to make difficult personnel changes, scrutinize spending and restore trust in the administration.
The new receiver will need political protection “to build a culture within the schools that will support the learning for the kids and the staff,” Kohn said. “There needs to be an understanding on the part of the community that the political levers must stop.”
What this all means is hires will need to be made based on competency and experience rather than on personal or political connections. It means contracts will have to be awarded based on a competitive and transparent bidding process. And the community will need to be clearly informed of both progress and setbacks in regular and open communication.
Most of all, parents will need to be reassured that capable people are at the helm so they will have enough confidence to work with the district’s administrators rather than against them.
Kohn is probably right, revitalizing Harrisburg schools will not happen overnight, as much as we want it. And the road probably will be as pot-marked as some of Harrisburg’s streets, but we should not be lulled into tolerating anything less than the best for Harrisburg’s children.
They deserve the same quality education that children in suburban counties have. And, as Kohn so rightly noted, that is ultimately the responsibility of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.