Just like the many college and grad school admissions notices that will soon be flooding the mailboxes of thousands of anxious high school seniors and graduate school hopefuls in the next few weeks across the state, our letter was thin and single page. A rejection notice, no doubt. I knew it as soon as I saw the return address: Public Schools of Choice, Magnet School Programs Center, New Haven Public Schools.
Like my own past collection of college and law school rejection letters from many years ago, it is still not easy to handle the range of emotions that ran through my head and heart yesterday. However, this notice was not for a 56-year old dad, but for a 3-year old son. A first born child.
The New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) is offering an education program that I want for my son that my hometown is not able or not willing to offer. The 2013 New Haven Interdistrict Magnet Schools brochure claims, “John D. Daniels School of International Communication is first and foremost a dual language school. Students in K-5 will be taught 50 percent in English, 50 percent in Spanish…” My son and I visited the Interdistrict Open House program and the school in January. He liked it and I liked it. But… “We regret to inform you that the student named above was not placed in any of the magnet school(s) you applied for in the lottery that was conducted on March 20. There were approximately 8,500 applicants and less than 2,500 seats available in PreK-3 to 12th grade.”
Thoughts of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross rushed through my head: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Compromise, Acceptance.
But wait! This is not about death and dying. Yet. This is about a child’s education. My child’s and other children’s education. His future, their future, our future. Do I just walk away and accept this as a fait accompli? If there are about 8,500 out of district students and families wanting “in” to the NHPS, why isn’t the NHPS doing more to accommodate this demand? Or why can’t the NHPS partner with bordering school systems accommodate this demand?
Where are all the state level public education experts and officials yelping about the achievement gap between urban and suburban schools? What does their research show? Are they aware that in the New Haven area there are 6,000 suburban families, like ours, wanting our children to be accepted into highly desirable and exemplary New Haven Public School programs like the Daniels School? Exactly who are my fellow suburbanistas who want the type of public education being offered by the NHPS?
In last year’s statistics for the Daniels Interdistrict School’s PreK-3 class, there were 114 applicants for 20 seats, 1 in 6 possibility, or 16% chance of acceptance. Where did the other 96 children/families go? If you are one of these families or parents, let’s unite! Let’s open up our own schools! I’m not waiting around for the waiting list to get to number 29, which is never. My son’s education is too important to leave to a lottery system.
Sylvester L. Salcedo, Esq.
Orange