Valeria Silva, a National Dissapointment

It was today that I heard Arlington High School will be closed if the Budget by St. Paul Public Schools Superintendent, Valeria Silva, is approved. I sure hope it is not. While she cites budget issues forcing her to make these decisions, she has yet to explain how this draconian acts of hers will actually do any good. While it might be true that Arlington, which I attended as a high school student for four years, has not been able to meet federal test requirements, it is important that we understand what Arlington is [I cannot speak about other programs in the city because I do not know them].

Arlington has a long history of being innovative. Arlington is the newest high school in the district. Since its inception, Arlington has been a hub for immigrant students and their families, something very unique about this school. Its ELL program was one of the best in the nation (I can attest to that). It was the pilot school where Admission Possible, a program for low-income students preparing for college (and that I was a part of), took flight and now is all over the twin cities and in Milwaukee, WI, getting hundreds of students to college [I have my reservation about AP too]. Arlington, in 2007, was restructured and became a BioSMART school, providing high quality education to its students in certain areas.

Now that I gave a couple examples about the innovative Arlington, let me list why closing it is the wrong decision. First of all, Silva is not giving the bioSMART program play out its part. The program was implemented in the fall of 2007, after I graduated. Research shows that it takes about 7 years for a program to give results that are measurable. Hardly three years is not enough. Maybe Silva does not understand how research works. Even without research, the new Arlington structure under bioSMART is working and one can hear it from students and teachers. They are the experts, not Silva or the Principal.

Two, Silva keeps citing the stupid rhetoric that Arlington is not meeting Federal Testing Standards. No Child Left Behind is doing more harm than good, and we all knew this. Also, as it is my understanding that Silva worked in ELL programming, won't she then understand the challenges of having a diverse community when it comes to immigration and how long one has been here? An ELL student who has resided in the U.S. for one year is going to do worst than an African American student. This is simple to understand. It would make sense for Silva to move and shake the system and try to implement policies that address these kind of thing: language, cultural, and geographical differences. Putting a bandage on a bleeding wound will not stop the bleeding.

Three, Silva also keeps talking about the low-enrolling number of students projected for the future. While that is a real concern, Silva is ignoring that this is a national trend. However, Silva is also, wrongly, ignoring the fact that it is the immigrant community the only community growing in the state of MN, especially in the cities. It is ironic that Silva, an immigrant herself, would ignore her own community for solutions. But then again, I should not racialize or expect from someone who looks 'like me' to think like me.

Valeria Silva, here are some good things to actually do. If you want to reduce the budget problems, stop traveling to DC with your staff because that is where I met you personally. And I am sure some funding from your budget was spent there. What about cutting your pay? Some smart organizations pay their employees based on need. I am sure you do not need more than a hundred thousand dollars to live well in MN. Do this for everyone and you will see that the budget problems will be solved. Of course I cannot expect this -- too radical for you I am sure.

Here are some more easy-to-handle proposals. Arlington, with its history to well-serving immigrant students like myself, should become, once again, a hub for immigrant students and their families. Its ELL program should be revitalized, which will not only live up to its legacy to bring people from all over the world together but it will also attract many more students and increase the total number of matriculated students (in order to address the number question). Testing should be based on many aspects about students, and not just how they are done today. Making Arlington also a center where college students and high school students come together will also increase the number of student graduating. Arlington should continue its bioSMART program -- I wonder if you are planning in using the funding left over for something else...I hope not or I hope you can't.

When Silva was elected Superintendent, many of us who work around the education realm were looking up to her because she has been here for a long time and knew the district. However, from what I see, I really question if she really knows our district, if she knows anything about Arlington. Her actions are not addressing roots causes of what is going on -- poverty, language problems, immigration status of St. Paul Public School students, violence, etc -- and that is why I wonder what she is doing besides cutting and cutting. Our governor is no friend to education, would she challenge him? I doubt it. The problem really lies outside of these schools and programs, but Silva is ignoring much of that at this point and seems to have learned a lot from our current governor: just cut, no matter who is affected or no matter if people don't want you to this. I wish she would have learned form someone else...........

Silva has no heart and compassion, integral ingredients for making a great superintendent and integral to good policy making. She is playing politics as usual. Valeria Silva is a total disappointment thus far.