My friend Tony Rose is running for the school board in the Little Rock, Arkansas School District. Please vote for him if you live there. Here is his campaign statement:

My name is Tony Rose, and I am running for LRSD School Board, Zone 4. I have multiple degrees from UALR in mathematics and history. I am currently semi-retired and do work as a private scholar, mostly writing history.

I think that the current board has ceded its authority to the superintendent with the resolution of September 26. I find that document to be a combination of the outrageous and the ridiculous. Any time that simple human courtesy and politeness must be mandated, there is simply no respect on the part of either party for the other.

I have the experience necessary for efficient and effective board meetings. I served on the board from 2000-2006 and was the president of the board in 2005. I am certified by the Arkansas School Boards Association as a Master Board Member, exceeding the required training by some 50-odd hours of training. I know the district’s history and culture.

I am, and have been, a staunch supporter of the Little Rock Education Association. I opposed the “end around” that was used by the Walton education group to experiment with performance pay in the district in the early 00s. I was one of the two votes against the program. At the time, I didn’t think of their efforts as union-busting, but an effort by an archly conservative group attempting to woo the largest district in the state into joining their business-forward approach to education. My wife was one of the “Little Rock 69” and I vigorously supported her in what was a very nerve-wracking few days.

I ardently oppose the LEARNS Act and the Ballinger Act. I will urge the board to pursue legal remedies to these efforts to destroy public schools. There are state and US constitutional questions that need to be addressed. On the issue of public employers not being allowed to negotiate with a union, I hope that the LREA might join the district in pursuit of the rights of the board and the union to free speech and free association.

I understand that learning requires a safe environment, for both students and teachers. But, we can’t make changes or know what to change without some light being shined on the situation. I will call for a monthly report of security calls, police calls, and arrests in our schools. I will also ask for a monthly report detailing theft and vandalism of district property. Once those reports begin to come in, it will most probably become clear where we need to put safety and security efforts.

A clean environment, while not essential, is preferred by all of us. I know that for some schools this is not a problem, but for others, it is. This is just an example of the district’s long-time situation: some school get a lot, and some school get a little.

Directly related to the above paragraph, I think we have to re-think our curriculum, as much as the state will allow. Former board member Dr. Jim Ross has said on several occasions that the LRSD has failed African-American students for 70 years. I whole-heartedly agree. I think that it goes a bit further than failure: the LRSD has betrayed African-American students through repeatedly buying educational programs that not only cost money, but don’t work. The salesmen of these programs tout their records of success. I am of the opinion that those programs did work at the right school, with the right teachers, and with the right students under the right circumstances. I know that there is no cure-all. But I will strongly support curriculum reform aimed at making ALL students college-ready at graduation. I know that many graduates will not attend college, but making them ready for college will not hurt them as they pursue employment and careers. If you have questions about how this can be accomplished, I recommend that you look at Bob Moses’s Algebra Project and similar initiatives.

My opponents is, no doubt, an honest man who wants to make the district better for all. However, he a priori cedes the education side of the board’s oversight to the administration. That is a mistake. The administration needs strong leadership from the board on all facets of oversight. I am not suggesting that the board meddle in teachers’ business. I am saying that something different has to happen or we are continuing our betrayal.

There is still racism in the district. I am not the one, as a white man, to describe it, but I think most of it is subconscious and can be attributed to soft expectations. I don’t have a magic wand, however I know some things have to change.

Most of you have golden memories of your own public education. But that era, real or rose-tinted, is not where we are. I dare say that most of the LRSD’s graduates of the last 40 years do not have those sorts of warm fuzzies that many of us have about school. I am not suggesting that we try to create situations that will lead to lovely nostalgia. I’m suggesting that we create an LRSD where the graduates look back and know that they were given their rights and were exposed to the best work that the board, admin, and teachers could do. I want LRSD to create an environment gives all students the tools they need to students achieve their highest aspirations.

I would appreciate any of you sharing this post to your own Facebook pages. I would appreciate donations, which can be made at https://trrosegarden.blogspot.com/. There you will find a couple of pieces about book banning and a vague paper about math civil rights and curricular reform.

But more than that, I would appreciate the votes of any of you reading this that are in Zone 4. I encourage all of you vote, regardless of your politics and choices. Democracy works best when voters vote.

Thank you for your attention, your support, and your votes.