Public School Problems...

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Earlier this month, state Superintendent Richard Woods said that Chase Street Elementary was among the highest performing Title I (high poverty) schools in the state.

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Clearly that district just needs more money

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Concerning capacity, Means assured attendees that the district has plenty of resources, despite recent expenditures on AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) training and University of Virginia consultants. For example, Whit Davis has added a second behavioral specialist, he said.


“If there’s a request for staff, we’ll provide the staff,” he said. “Sometimes, it comes down to, it’s difficult to hire people and get them to come to Clarke County.”

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Means also said that with the district’s $1.2 million surplus, his administration has hired an additional 11 or 12 teachers. Also being hired are more social workers, psychologists and counselors for schools to help children succeed socially and academically.

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One mother told Means that her 8-year-old son is scared to go to school because of another child’s outbursts. “It’s like a Benny Hill movie” when teachers and administrators chase after him, she said. Meanwhile, she said the other 20 students are “evacuated” to another room that’s not equipped for teaching, where they watch cartoons until the situation is resolved. Another woman who identified herself as a substitute teacher said students have screamed at her and thrown chairs.



Means said students with individual education plans (IEPs)—which can include those with autism, a learning disorder or a physical disability in addition to those with emotional or behavioral disorders—must be in the “least restrictive environment,” which usually means an ordinary classroom. “At what point do you say you tried and move on to Plan B, or in some cases Plan C?”


Means acknowledged that watching a student act out can be “jarring” for other students, but said there’s also a flip side: While he hears from (usually white) parents about classroom disruption, some parents of color want to know why students with IEPs are disproportionately black boys. He attributed the disparity to trauma experienced in the home and said teachers are undergoing professional development to learn how to “connect with” students from low-income and minority families, while also setting high expectations for those students.

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