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Re-Evaluate How City School District Helps All At-Risk, Struggling Students

A request by several African-American pastors to create an African-American Navigator position within the Jamestown Public Schools District is an interesting one for several reasons.

The Rev. Chloe Smith, the Rev. Uvie Stewart and others attended a recent school board meeting asking the Board of Education to consider creating a third navigator position to work primarily with African-American students.

“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.”

It’s hard to argue with Rev. Smith’s sentiment. It was equally difficult to argue against the Hispanic navigator positions given the language gaps that many Latino students and their families deal with. The numbers don’t lie.

But the fact that a second request has come forward makes us wonder if there is a bigger issue at play. One can look at test scores and graduation rates and see racial achievement gaps, but one can also see achievement gaps that break along socio-economic lines.

The Jamestown Public Schools District spends a ton of money helping at-risk students. At the same time there are several organizations in the Jamestown community who also seek to help at-risk students. The board and Dr. Kevin Whitaker, district superintendent, are considering Smith’s request, but in our view this is a good time to take a second look at how the district tries to help all at-risk students.

Adding a third navigator position wouldn’t bust next year’s budget, but looking at testing numbers and graduation rates could lead to dozens of groups asking the board for their own navigator position. And each would be able to make a strong case that additional help is needed.

We also know all that additional help will get costly, particularly when federal stimulus money is gone. And the last thing anyone wants is to create positions that people count on only to cut them because there isn’t money in the budget.

As the board evaluates this request, providing help to students in a way that can be sustained over time must be considered.

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