All Are Welcome

Caption: On left, Anita Hemingway, Phil's wife; on right, Phil Hemingway, Iowa City Community School District board member and owner/manager of Phil's Repair.

Anyone who knows me or has read my positions regarding the need for maintaining neighborhood schools can attest to the fact that I have not wavered from this position. This is a core belief I share with many people in the Iowa City Community School District attendance area for all students, regardless of their race, religion, sexual preference, or socio-economic standing. In short, the closest school to where the student lives is the school the student should attend.

Some in our community advocate for a busing policy that, in essence, imposes quotas on how many of certain subgroups of students should attend any of our district’s amazing schools. Their argument is based on their belief that some students would achieve better outcomes if they were bused, at considerable expense, to schools far from their homes and neighborhoods. Students from households living below the poverty line or from groups that have been traditionally marginalized by society face tremendous barriers and stressors in their lives. Transporting them away from their closest schools will not eliminate those barriers and stressors. In fact, in my opinion, this will actually exacerbate them. Additionally, busing policies such as the one proposed by some would stigmatize young impressionable human beings who are left feeling they do not belong in a certain school due to some undesirable quality that they possess and they are not worthy of attending the school nearest to their home.

The Iowa City Community School District is comprised of some very diverse neighborhoods. I propose we celebrate them and invest in the students who live in those neighborhoods by lowering class sizes and putting programming in place that will bridge the district’s well documented achievement gaps. To me it comes down to a simple choice between paying for buses and diesel fuel or hiring more teachers. Even if one believes that busing students from “failed” or “failing” schools to “successful” schools will lead to better outcomes, we cannot at this point say that any of our schools is “failed” or “failing.” We cannot simply use metrics established under No Child Left Behind and standardized test scores as barometers of a school’s success or failure. All of our schools face their own unique challenges and our dedicated teachers and building staff provide top-notch educational opportunities for all of our students.

Recently the Iowa City Council created a policy for its new Riverfront Crossings District which requires developers to set aside 10% of available units for affordable housing for 10 years or pay a fee. Policies such as this are necessary for creating long-term solutions to our community’s poverty pockets and homeless problem. I am hopeful that other cities that are members of the school district will consider similar policies. Granted, it may take some time for initiatives such as this to reach desired outcomes. However, a busing Band-Aid cannot fix a problem that has been decades in the making.

We know that increased parent participation in their child’s education results in higher student achievement and we should do everything in our power to ensure that all parents be active members of their child’s educational experience. Distancing and disconnecting parents from their child’s education is the opposite of what we as a district should want for our children.

Our democracy depends on every citizen feeling welcomed and valued. The district can help this become a reality by recognizing the needs of all of our community members and by welcoming every child and parent at the school closest to their home.

- Phil Hemingway, Iowa City Community School District board member; owner/manager of Phil’s Repair