Education inequalities: An election issue for Ohio candidates
By Emily Bordley
Growing up in the Kinsman neighborhood in Cleveland, Naudia Loftis has experienced firsthand the struggle for local schools to buy textbooks, run after-school programs, and even pay all of the teachers.
“There’s continuous budget cuts on education, especially in inner-city schools. Which I feel like is a huge problem because it’s taken away from the kids that, you know, have to go to those schools,” Loftis said. “Everybody doesn’t get the luxury of going to a private school.”
Loftis is a prominent social activist in the Cleveland area and the digital media specialist for the Tamir Rice Foundation. She graduated from John Carroll University last spring. She pointed out the vast disparities in funding between public and private schools in Cleveland and the areas surrounding Cleveland in an interview with Professor Carrie Buchanan’s journalism class.
On Nov. 3, residents of Cuyahoga County and Lake County will vote for their Ohio State Board of Education member. Voters will need to decide what issues in education matter to them and which candidate will adequately address those issues. The inclusion and fair treatment of minority students in the education system is a hotly debated issue for the three candidates running for the position. They each take different stances on equity, funding and technology in schools with minoritized students. These issues will affect not only the outcome of the election but also the treatment of minoritized students for years to come.
The majority of educators and education administration members are white and female, but the candidates running for the Ohio State Board of Education representing District 11 are different than the majority. Two African American female candidates and one Caucasian male candidate debate hotly contested issues in education on Oct. 1, through Zoom in a forum hosted by the League of Women Voters.
The State Board of Education is responsible for dealing with matters such as making sure inner-city minority students have access to the resources they need to succeed.
Meryl Johnson, the incumbent member for District 11, is running against Michele Elba, a Warrensville Heights School Board member, and Richard (Rocky) Neale, a Brooklyn City School Board member. The three candidates combined have over 50 years of experience either teaching or sitting on a city school board.
During the hourlong interview conducted by Wendy Deuring of the League of Women Voters, the candidates looked and sounded a bit like wise grandparents as they talked about their families and their work experiences. They seemed very relaxed as they were interviewed from their homes. Deuring’s cat even made a brief appearance onscreen, which the candidates couldn’t help but smile at.
Despite the candidates’ air of assuredness and easy confidence, they seemed to choose their words carefully and sometimes answered in generalities to avoid controversy. About 20 minutes into the interview, Deuring asked the candidates for their thoughts on the meaning of equity in public schools and how equity can be better promoted.
With racial tension being so prominent in current American society, it would make sense for the candidates to have clear and direct statements ready about minority representation in schools and funding for struggling inner-city schools. However, they couldn’t even agree on what equity means.
Elba went first, stating that, “We need to make sure that all school districts, no matter where you are at in Ohio, that you are receiving the same tools, the same resources, the same education.”
Johnson responded that Elba was talking about equality, not equity. Johnson went on to say that, “Equity is when you provide what a child needs. Everybody shouldn’t get the same because everyone’s needs are not the same.” Johnson sounded like she was teaching the other candidates when she said this. But if the other candidates were phased, they didn’t show it.
Neale finished the question by saying that, “I believe that equity should be equal as well.”
Margaret Schauer, an assistant professor of education at John Carroll University as well as both a teacher and a principal for many years in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, stated in a Zoom interview on Oct. 19 with the author that equity in education means “giving students what they need to be successful in school and outside of school based on resources that they have or do not have access to.” Equity in schools is very important for ensuring that minority students have a fair chance for achieving success.
Later on in the forum, Deuring asked the candidates how curriculum is set by schools and specifically how history curriculum should be set up. The issue of teaching history has gained national attention because of efforts to create racial equality in education such as the 1619 Project, critical race theory, and critical pedagogy.
The 1619 Project, created by the New York Times Magazine in 2019, centers history classes on the experiences and contributions of Black Americans. Critical race theory targets systemic racism and questions the institutions that many take for granted. Similarly, critical pedagogy questions institutions but in a way not necessarily tied to race. For example, critical pedagogy examines discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals. Efforts like these help promote awareness of the plight of minority groups.
The candidates shared their ideas about curriculum. Elba led the discussion and said that, “Students need to learn all parts of history, not just their own history.”
Johnson followed Elba and said, “I think it’s important that students be taught the truth.”
Neale pushed back against Johnson and asked, “Who has the truth?”
He continued and said, “Going forward, we need to find out where the facts are.”
Neale’s question was never answered. The candidates all wanted students to receive a comprehensive, truthful and factual history of the U.S., but none laid out a suggested plan for doing so.
Schauer suggested,“The most important thing is to teach history from multiple perspectives” because history is currently taught from the perspective of the winner. Schauer went on to say that “the winner in the United States is the white man.”
Many voters will be thinking about issues related to minority representation in schools. Alex Lafayette, president of LGBTQIA+ Allies at John Carroll University, wants to see candidates talk about trans rights and representation this election.
“Children, who are just trying to be themselves, being able to be themselves, especially in front of their peers, and have themselves recognized … is a really important thing.”
None of the candidates specifically addressed this concern, but Johnson stated that the State Board of Education has recently implemented bias training for all board members.
One of the League of Women Voters’ final questions brought up the issue of school funding during the pandemic. Each candidate agreed that the main use of school funding during the pandemic should be for creating a healthy and safe environment for students. Johnson brought up the important issue of technology during the pandemic.
“We prioritize students’ safety by making sure that every child has a device to close this digital divide,” Johnson said. If every student has a digital device, then the students do not need to risk going to the physical school building and can instead learn from home.
Elba agreed with Johnson that safety was important, but Elba stressed that oftentimes “students are not able to get on [the internet] because it’s being overwhelmed and the system is crashing. And there’s no learning going on.”
Closing this “digital divide” has proven to be a tricky issue, especially for minority students.
In her closing statement, Johnson briefly addressed the funding issues for Ohio schools. She said that the school system is funded primarily through property tax and levies. As a result, the funding and resources for school districts depends mainly on the wealth of the residents. This hurts poorer and minority communities the most.
In response to Johnson’s comments, Neale cited his years of experience in the financial service industry. He stated, “The education part [will become] a lot easier once you don’t have to worry about the financial stuff.”
Schauer pointed out that DeRolph v. State ruled in 1997 that Ohio’s school funding system is unconstitutional but that little has been done to change that.
However, no candidates proposed a solution to the funding issues.
