| PERSPECTIVE |
[September 26, 2003] -
School districts in Omaha, Grand Island, South Sioux City, and Lexington are suing the State to get more money for education. The schools claim the formula used to determine State aid for schools doesn't adequately consider the costs to educate students with special needs. Statewide's Brad Penner visited 2 Omaha schools to see what they mean.
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Transcript of OPS Lawsuit
Pam Cohn-Marrs Elementary Principal: "And here's the dual language logo right here, the rainbow."
Principal Pam Cohn gets excited when she talks about the dual language program at Marrs Elementary in Omaha.
Pam Cohn: "First grade dual language. They're mixed now, right now. Senora Vargas is the spanish side teacher, and these are the beautiful children. Say ola, OLA!"
She's less enthusiastic about the way State government spends it's education dollars.
Pam Cohn: "Inequitable. Absolutely inequitable. Unfair."
Unfair, according to Mrs. Cohn and OPS officials, because more students in Omaha need extra help of one kind or another. At Marrs elementary, 75percent of the 722 students are hispanic. 2-thirds of those kids are in the process of learning english.
Pam Cohn: "You have to put these kids on the same playing field if you want, literally, no child left behind. And right now they are not on the same playing field."
To do that, Mrs. Cohn implemented a dual language program.
Pam Cohn: "Now this is the english side of the dual language first grade, and just take a look at the room, that's what I want you to look at right now. Cause we'll go into the spanish side and it'll look almost identical except everything will be in spanish."
One section of kids in kindergarten through 4th grade learn in english and spanish. In kindergarten and first grade students learn to read and write in their native language.
For other subjects, students are mixed together, and taught in english or spanish on alternating days.
Pam Cohn: "We don't introduce the second language until the middle of second grade. But what we've found is kids pick up the language without the instruction. I'll have kindergarteners reading these little books in english and spanish by the end of the year to me, and they haven't even been taught in the second language."
The program requires teachers who speak spanish, and extra para-educators who can work with kids in smaller groups.
Pam Cohn: "Research shows that students who learn in 2 different languages consistently do well in school. We have seen that in our program. It is not an elitist program. We have students of all ability levels in the program."
Next year the dual language program will include fifth grade, the year after, sixth grade.
Pam Cohn: "This is our original group of kids that started the whole thing. These kids have had instruction since kindergarten. They're doing great, they're doing great."
It takes extra effort and extra resources to provide innovative programs like the dual language classes. Federal grants also pay for all day kindergarten and preschool classes at Marrs elementary.
Pam Cohn: "It's not just the 8-hour educational day that it was when say, you and I went to school. The needs are greater. School looks a lot different. Our population nationally has changed. It's a minority-majority culture, and we've got to meet the needs of our clientele, our neighborhoods, so our kids will be successful, that's the name of the game."
And that gets back to money.
John Langan-OPS Board President: "What we're saying, with additional dollars we would be talking about specific expertise of professional educators being hired to address the needs of these youngsters"
School board President John Langan says poverty among students is another issue facing Omaha Public Schools.
John Langan: "When a youngster comes and he has no food, and he has no health care and he has no clothing, and he has no parents in the home he's disadvantaged and he needs help that we're not equipped to give him at this point. I think there are things we can do."
But Langan says those things take money, and he's hoping the lawsuit will lead to more funding from the State of Nebraska.
John Langan: "I used to say look at the sign, it's the good life, but it's not gonna be that way in the house of education until this thing is resolved. Because there are kids getting shortchanged and the preponderance of those kids are in the Omaha Public Schools."
Lisa Dale-Omaha Benson H.S. Principal: "You go out at lunchtime, or in the halls during a passing period, one in five of each of those students you see is verified special education."
And that poses special challenges according to Omaha Benson Principal Lisa Dale.
Special Education students spend part of the day in specialized classes, but they're also in regular classrooms half to 3-fourths of the time.
Lisa Dale: "And we get no extra money to help serve those students outside of their special education classrooms. That's just money we have to somehow find."
Benson also has a large low-income population. Mrs. Dale says 65-percent of her students qualify for free or reduced price lunches under federal income guidelines. Low income students tend to perform worse in school. Mrs. Dale would like to do more but says the resources aren't there.
Lisa Dale: "We run an 8 period day, a teacher has six teaching assignments, if they have 25-30 students in each of those classes, you're talking easily 150-160 students per day, cycle through my door, as a teacher. And to provide individual attention to 160 students, I think is unrealistic."
If Omaha received more state aid for education, Lisa Dale would use her share to hire more teachers. She'd look for ways to provide more intensive instruction to students who don't qualify for special education, but need extra help.
Lisa Dale: "So for instance, reading programs. We don't have reading programs that are outside of just doing things within regular english classes or regular social studies classes for those students who are reading below grade level. And we know that we have a significant number who are."
John Langan says more state aid could also help OPS work with other organizations and individuals to reach beyond the classroom.
John Langan: "I'd focus on the home, and the family environment and the community till who done it. Cause we have kids with no parents in the home, we have kids with parents incarcerated, both of them. We have kids being raised by kids. And that is something that public educators, and I'm one who prepares them, are not equipped to handle at this point."
Communication with families is critical at Marrs elementary. A bilingual paraprofessional works with spanish-speaking parents. A translator answers their questions over the phone.
Pam Cohn: "You have to meet the needs of your clientele, whether you agree with it or not, you have to meet the needs. And if you want parents to become involved you've got to be able to communicate with them."
Brenda Dowthitt-Marrs Elementary Paraeducator: "This whole packet is information in english and in spanish that we send home periodically throughout the year."
Para educator Brenda Dowthitt developed a grant-funded reading program involving parents.
Brenda Dowthitt: "We eventually will send home these small books with the children they will read to their parent. So they will take two books home at night. One that they read to the parent, and one that the parent reads to them."
It's hoped the extra efforts lead to improved achievement. Under the federal "No Child Left Behind" program schools must show adequate yearly progress measured by testing.
Pam Cohn: "We missed adequate yearly progress this year by 6-tenths of a percent. I was crushed."
A continued failure to meet the standards could lead to a loss of federal funds or other sanctions. Pam Cohn says student achievement is improving, but it's a continual challenge.
Pam Cohn: "And I might get a student fresh from Mexico in grade 4 that hasn't had any schooling, period. Never had a pencil, paper in his hand, doesn't know the language. And then by March is expected to take the statewide writing test."
John Langan: "And we're saying, you can't hold us to that and then not give us the money to get it done."
And so the Omaha Public Schools, and 3 other districts, sued the State to get more money. They say the state aid formula doesn't account for the extra needs of a lot of their students. Langan and others hope to settle the issue before it goes to trial. If not, it could take years for the courts to decide.
In the meantime, they'll do the best they can with what they have. Reporting for Statewide, I'm Brad Penner.