The Tanya McDowell Case: Once Again, Time to End Zip Code Education
Earlier this year, Dropout Nation took a look at the case of Kelley Williams-Bolar, a Ohio woman convicted of violating the law by placing her two daughters in the relatively high-performing Copley-Fairlawn school district (where few of the black students drop out) instead of keeping them in the woeful Akron district (whose five year Promoting Power, or Balfanz rate, for young black men and women, respectively, is 62 percent and 76 percent) in which her family resided. Besides noting how laughable this case of so-called tuition fraud is, we made plain that it was high time for states such as Ohio to take over full funding of schools and voucherize those dollars so that every child can attend any high-quality school — traditional public, charter, private or otherwise — that serves their needs.
Now there is the case of Tanya McDowell, a 33-year-old homeless woman in Bridgeport, Conn. (five-year Balfanz rate of 59 percent), who has been charged with larceny after sending her child to school in nearby Norwalk (where the five-year Balfanz rate is 86 percent). Unlike Williams-Bolar, McDowell’s case was spurred not by the Norwalk district (which hardly knew what was happening), but by the city’s housing agency (which subsidized the housing of McDowell’s baby sitter, who then provided the woman with an address from which to register her child). But the result is the same: A mother is facing a conviction for doing the very best she could for her child (especially in light of her circumstances) and the youngster will likely be removed from school just before he completes the school year.
The Connecticut Parents Union is rallying support from people to convince the district to keep the kid in school at least until the end of the year; you can — and I say, you should — sign the petition. The Parents Union is also looking to help McDowell repay the $16,000 tuition (which, given the state subsidy, should actually be $13,500). (Full disclosure: I am an advisory board member of the newly-formed organization).
All of this points to one of the biggest reasons why we must overhaul how we fund American public education: It makes no sense to deny children — especially those from the poorest households — the ability to get a high-quality education. Yet this continues so long as school funding in Connecticut and other states remains in a netherworld in which the state funds large portions of the cost, yet the flow of local dollars allows for districts to oppose expansive school choice and shortchange children. In Connecticut, for example, state revenues account for 38 percent of all school spending, well below the 48 percent national average (in Norwalk, the state contributes just 22 percent). If Connecticut took over full funding, it could allow for more-expansive school choice and ultimately, hold failing districts such as Bridgeport accountable for its academic neglect.
Tanya McDowell isn’t Kelley Williams-Bolar. But the underlying issues for both are ultimately the same: Parents deserve the ability to give their children opportunities for success in life. Expanding school choice and ending zip code education is needed as part of school reform.
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[...] Norwalk schools are better, notes RiShawn Biddle on Dropout Nation, who has stats on “promoting power” for black students in the two districts. The Connecticut Parents Union is lobbying to let McDowell’s son finish out the school year and is raising money to pay the $15,686 in tuition for out-of-district students, Biddle writes. A pro-McDowell petition is here. [...]
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[...] lives," education writer Joanne Jacobs stated of the situation . The blog DropOut Nation notes that the Norwalk schools are much better than these in Bridgeport, where McDowell's final address [...]
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[...] code words I really mean this is about separating minorities from whites: The blog DropOut Nation notes that the Norwalk schools are better than those in Bridgeport, where McDowell’s last address [...]
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[...] sometimes lives,” education writer Joanne Jacobs said of the case. The blog DropOut Nation notesthat the Norwalk schools are better than those in Bridgeport, where McDowell’s last address [...]
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[...] Tonya McDowell case (and that of Kelley Williams-Bolar earlier this year) have touched on the critical need for [...]
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[...] this week’s Dropout Nation Podcast, I take a look at the Tonya McDowell and Kelley Williams-Bolar cases and explain why we must expand school choice, embrace Parent Power [...]
SBB
765 days ago
This woman shouldn’t have to pay anything at all even do-gooders are willing to raise the sum. Do childless tax-payers in the school district get a $13,000-$15,000 refund each year since they don’t use the schools?
RA
764 days ago
As a former college student at the University of Bridgeport, I am disgusted and ashamed and will now associate my former college town with this disgusting crime against the homeless woman and her friend.
We were temporarily made homeless in Burbank California because the wealthy landlord hid hundreds of square feet of deadly mold behind the walls and caused over $100,000 in medical damages to my family. The Burbank school district came after my children with draconian efforts to evict them. However, that was illegal, in the same way that this act in Connecticut is illegal.
If a student is homeless, their residency is defined as the last place they kept the majority of their possessions.
After exposing the illegal greedy self-servicing politics that defines “Beautiful Downtown Burbank”, the district reluctantly allowed the children to finish the school year while scientists analyzed the massive extent of the physical and medical damage and we proved coercion between Burbank and the wealthy landowner (who, amazingly “owned” half of Burbank High School and whose family “rotated” as major of the city).
Bridgeport, take a clue from another corrupt city: BACK DOWN, NOW, and stop attacking homeless children, you filthy monsters.
MC
764 days ago
In the case of the Ohio woman, I have to agree that it was unfair. After all, her father was a resident of the area zoned for the school she had enrolled her children. However, the case of the Connecticut woman is debatable.
But blaming the public school system for a schools poor performance seems ridiculous. A school is poorly performing because of the fact that the students aren’t meeting standards. If teachers are trying to teach but students aren’t completing homework assignments, studying for tests or reading at home then that is the fault of the parents. Parents have a responsibility to make sure that their children are doing their homework and studying for tests. If you send your child to school for 8 hours of free babysitting and you don’t care, then please don’t blame the system. Any educational system, public or private, is only as good as the people who attend. People complain that Asian students are superior to American students, but that has to do with the fact that parents in Asian countries insist that their children go to school to learn, they ensure that homework is complete and that their children are well prepared for exams. I don’t think anybody in this country is denied an education by the system. They deny themselves by their own lack of interest in utilizing the resources available.
Dana
763 days ago
Shame on authorities!!! You should praise the mother for trying to get her child any education at all in her circumstances. Have a heart. It is a shattering experience to be homeless and not be able to provide for your child. She wanted a better life for her son, and this is not stealing anything from anyone else. Go after the rapists and murderers and drug criminals and find more positive ways to help a single mother, by educating her on where she can seek help, instead you destroy her emotional well-being and that of her child and then destroy the family structure and this will have a life long impact on both the mother and the child. Shame on those in power.
We should do away with being controlled on where our children can be educated by where we live or do not live.
Karmic Restitution
760 days ago
Please don’t forget about the plight of Ana Marquez, who was made homeless herself when the City of Norwalk evicted her in the dead of winter, as a result of helping Tonya register her son for school. Ana has just received a Karmic Restitution Award from http://karmicrestitution.com/ – we would like to provide her as much support as possible.
Are You Serious
757 days ago
My main thing, without reading every article or posted comment, is the basis of the complaint: a homeless mother trying to ensure her child’s education. 1. She is allegedly homeless; what address would they like for her to provide? If her child DOES NOT attend school, she will be penalized. Is that society’s way of saying since you currently can’t afford to live in the area your child’s education should match your circumstances? I realize guidelines and their purpose can be debated til the end of time, but seriously a jail sentence. For once I would like for those who are fortunate enough to not have to endure these hardships to slide their feet on the soles of the shoes they never knew existed. If she has done more than what has been disclosed, that can be considered but going to jail for trying to educate your child is ludicrous.