Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 February 2001 — Page 3

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2001

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER

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'l Daryl Mason gets ready td write down important issues facing African-American males and the communities they live in. (photo/Curtis Guynn) jllCAAM seeking community linput for 5-year plan

By BARATO BRITT Recorder Correspondent The Indianapolis Commission on African-American Males has officially begun a strategic ; planning process they hope will c aid them in identifying prevailing ' issues that affect the African- ■ American community. The process, which began last month with an outreach initiative ; for community leadership, is i designed to assess the state of the ! local African-American commu- ! nity and to aid in resolving issues ! that stifle Black empowerment. This week, an advisory committee of community leader- ! ship met for the second time; this ! time to list the issues they felt ! most affects the community. : Each of those issues fell under : the core themes of education, I criminal justice, family, employ- | ment and health. The meetings ; aptly took place at Crispus ; Attacks Middle Schools, an ; institution whose deep African- ; Americah roots are tvell dotu- 1 ; men ted. Said ICAAM Board President Harry McFarland, the initial r phase of the strategic plan allows < ICAAM to ultimately create new action items as new issues become apparent. “Given the passage of time, it just makes sense for us to take a fresh look at the issues with a fresh group of people,” he said. ! “The method we have tried to foster is one of working together ’> with community and emerging leadership to make things I happen.” i Since the commission’s ! introduction in 1992, ICAAM has sought to address central issues affecting Black males. In their initial strategy, the commission, with the help of a diverse 1 group of community leaders, I mapped out a plan to address 144

! Admission to charters by qualify- ! ing exams is something Pritchett ! does not want to happen; instead it ! should be on a first come, first i served basis, he said. AI though not opposed to school s being started to serve special needs of some students, Pritchett wants balance in the school system. There should be other schools serving the needs of all students. Many believe IPS already has the authority to start charter schools, and have no faith that IPS will allow the competition. But that’s not true according to Pritchett. “Public Law 340does not allow IPS to start charter schools. No where does it talk about charter schools. We wish it was there, it would give us some flexibility. It’s ; not even close to what charter ! schools are," said Pritchett. IPS has done everything Public j Law 340 mandates said Pritchett. | But should IPS be the only spon- ] sor of charters? A few local par1 ents don’t think so. i “IPS needs to focus on their i own schools. When they get their ! own schools together then they ! can focus on other schools,” said

recommendations that would ultimately lead to resolution of some of these concerns. The commission has since acted on the majority of these recommendations; however, commission representatives believe the current approach, which will lend citizen input to community leadership recommendations, will better aid them in the five-year plan that also includes agenda advocacy. “Even though we have been successful in impacting over 75 percent of the initial 144 recommendations, the issues facing African-American males and their families are still serious and much needs to be done in these areas,” added ICAAM Director Lyman Rhodes. “ICAAM and the community must determine if we should be institutionalized and what ongoing role we should play in the community.” Among the community leadership currently involved, the consensus is that ICAAM’s. * stfatd'iy ft T rfl&('lveidon\^.'^ : nilf * although’ ICAAM wavtareFul ih identifying individuals that reach each end of the social and political spectrum, there is a belief that common ground can ultimately be found for the entire community’s benefit. “We still have very unique issues,” said Kelley Gulley, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Private Industry Council. "It is important that we continue to address issues as a community. This comprehensive approach is , something we have needed to do. I believe this will help ICAAM reintroduce itself as the organization that understands the issues and can effectively partner with other Indianapolis social and political agencies to address the issues. "One of the greatest challenges we are facing with offend-

CHARTER Continued from A1 Derika Sanders, the mother of two Pike Township students. Just as there are varying ideas of what charter school legislation should include, parents are looking for different qualities in a school. Angela Brewer, the mother of two IPS students, wants special tutoring in the specific area that the child is not doing well in and for children to start passing classes earlier. Smaller classrooms, one on one relationship with teachers, discipline and uniforms are attractive qualities to James Walker, the father of a Wayne Township student. Charter schools exist in 34 states, including Puerto Rico and Washington D.C. One of the first states to implement the charter school system was Wisconsin. The law was passed in 1993, and there are 87 charter schools operating this school year. According to Wisconsin's law there is no limit on the number of charters allowed in the state. Only local school boards can grant charters except in Milwaukee. Charters are only given for five years at which time they are up renewal. Milwaukee also

ers reentering society,” added Gulley, a member of ICAAM’s employment focus group, “is that we need to begin providing services that benefit that population, which is a labor pool of intelligent, able bodied, individuals. These individuals, by and large, are unprepared because we’re not looking at them as a group that needs service.” Reiterating the city’s commitment to ICAAM and it’s objectives, Brenda Burke, director of the Department of Administration, not only restated Mayor Bart Peterson’s support, but lent her own expertise as a member of ICAAM’s focus group. “The mayor is addressing issues that parallel the mission of ICAAM,” Burke said. “The whole focus is to listen to the community and prioritize those issues. The mayor supports these efforts.” With issues clearly identified and in hand, ICAAM’s next step is to engage the community in the strategic planning process via a town hall gathering designed to garner input from the broader community. “The commission does not want to do this in a vacuum,” said Rhodes, and is asking all those able to attend the meeting, which takes place at Attucks on Sunday, Feb. 25 at 2:30 p.m. to come out and participate in the process. “We’re looking for help in finding issues that affect AfricanAmerican males and their families,” charged Daryl Mason, an ICAAM consultant and one of the project's coordinators. “After identifying the issues we will be meeting to discuss how to resolve them." For additional information regarding the upcoming town hall meeting, call Lyman Rhodes at (317) 327-5775.

has an appeals process in place for those denied a charter. Neighboring state. Ohio, passed a charter school law in 1997. At first charters.were limited to a few urban school districts, but the law was expanded last year. Ohio currently has 71 community schools. Like Wisconsin. Ohio allows a charter to operate for five years before being reviewed. A state foundation is given an amount per student instead of using local property tax dollars. One of the most popular bills before the Legislature was first introduced by Sen. Teresa Lubbers, R-Indianapolis, seven years ago. The bill would allow a sponsor of a charter school to be a school corporation, state higher education institution or mayor of a city. It would also allow for existing schools to become charter schools. Barato Britt, community outreach liaison of Greater Education Opportunities, said GEO supports a system that will allow as many charter schools as possible. Charter schools may or may not work for some, but it gives additional opportunities at no additional cost to the parents, said Britt.

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