Various community leaders representing the African American community recently asked the Jamestown Public Schools District to consider hiring a community navigator.

The Rev. Chloe Smith, the Rev. Leecroft Clark, the Rev. Uvie Stewart, and others attended a recent meeting of the Jamestown Public Schools Board to request the addition of an African American Community Navigator for the school district.

Smith said the group had previously met with Superintendent Kevin Whitaker and Tamu Reinhardt, coordinator of student support services, to discuss the possibility. The district had recently brought two community navigators on board to work with the district, Max Martin and Carmen Perez.

Smith said the group requested data regarding various statistics, and the findings were bleak. She said the figures showed that African American students are not doing as well as their peers in ELA and math testing and that the students’ graduation rate has been decreasing over the past few years.

“After hearing about what (community navigators) do — they basically bridge the gap between parents, students and the school system — we think it would be appropriate for us to have an African American navigator,” Smith said. “After seeing the data, it’s very concerning.”

She pointed out that COVID has disproportionately impacted the African American community in various ways.

“We just want to be a part of the solution,” she said. “We believe that a navigator would be a good first step to help us have better communication with the school system and to have better communication between parents and students in the school system so that we can come up with solutions for this data. Our children need to be doing better, and be better able to compete in this world that is global. So, that’s our hope.”

Smith said the American Rescue Plan provided over $21 million in funding to the district, of which a portion is supposed to be dedicated to issues like these.

“A portion of that fund is specifically designated for people who are economically disadvantaged and people of color, along with other things such as people with disabilities and immigrants,” she said. “We definitely fall under that category of economically poor people and marginalized communities and communities of color that there are supposed to be specific money set aside to offset the negative impacts of COVID. We want this to be just one of many steps that need to be taken to help us to help our kids.”

Smith is hopeful that the board and the school district as a whole are receptive to the idea; however, the leaders are waiting to hear back on the proposal. She encouraged those in the community to share their support with the superintendent and the board.

Whitaker said the district’s two community navigators focus on making connections between families and schools.

“The idea was that we have some students and families, components of our community, who are disconnected from our school system for a variety of reasons, some of which are language-based and some of which are relationship-based,” he said. “One of the most important things when it comes to student success graduation rate and students being able to be educated and graduate to live lives of consequence is felling that connection to the school, seeing yourself represented and feeling that it’s your place. And, it’s a place that’s designed to support you have to have family support.”

Whitaker said he has had discussions with various community leaders, in both the Hispanic and Latino community and the African American community.

“The discussion has centered around this kind of position and the support and success they’re seeing this happening on a case-by-case basis,” he said. “The group of African American pastors, community members and supporters just came forward to ask the board to expand the Community Navigator programs so that students can benefit from that sort of home-school connection, which is designed to make that connection to home, but also help students and parents navigate the process of being successful in school.”

Whitaker said the position would be created like any other position in the district. A proposal would be made to the board, and the board would make a decision based on “budgetary concerns and education concerns.” Whitaker said if approved, the position would be included in the next year’s budget. Or, the position could be funded by grants or federal funding, and the board would approve that proposal.

“Our community navigators are people who work with all members of our community,” he said. “The goal for our school is we need to make sure that we are reaching out to and connecting with and representing all aspects of our communities. So, any student who is struggling, any families that are struggling — they certainly have access to any of our navigators at any time. I wouldn’t want to pigeonhole them as only working with certain components of our community. They work with all students who need assistance.”