Malvernite Reflects on Lakeview Charter School Proposal

"Once Upon a Time in Lakeview"

Thein Lakeview resulted from the community’s decades-old dissatisfaction with its school system. Accusations of racism, unfair hiring practices, and ill-prepared graduating classes have been fiery topics in Lakeview for over forty years. A bit of change seemed imperative for Lakeview parents and community leaders, so an alternative school was proposed last August.

During the night of theI noticed that a notebook circulated around the crowd. I thought that it was a sign-in sheet, but I was instead told: “I’m collecting addresses and phone numbers in case this school goes through. We will protest you. We don’t want you here.” I wondered who these people spoke for. A resident later told me: “The audience was a stacked deck. I saw who was there, and I know who sent them.” Apparently, the majority of the audience consisted of special interest groups and neighborhood politicos who had their minds made up before the forum even started.

The community forum was no debate. Instead, we were met by an audience packed with special interest groups protecting their voting constituency, or defending their perceived community importance. If these individuals were truly interested in helping students instead of each other, they wouldn’t fight to restrict educational choices. Money and power exist in maintaining the status quo. Educating children was the last thing on their collective agenda.

Fortunately, the questionnaire sheets that we distributed among the community in the days following the forum were overwhelmingly positive. The majority of parents and residents that responded welcomed a potential change from the usual frenetic dynamics surrounding the district. We received enough supportive statements to move forward with the charter school, but lingering doubts remained.

Images of special interest foot soldiers protesting outside of the school where students studied Hamlet were indeed troubling. The idea behind a new school in Lakeview was to bring harmony and community empowerment, not venom and divisiveness. It was an earnest attempt by teachers to help residents of a community that struggles with its school district. The next time someone lectures you on Lakeview’s turbulent school history, ask the person what he or she has really ever done to bring about change.

Many residents of Lakeview continue to have problems with the school district. We hope that the idea of a competing school has initiated positive discourse, and will ultimately effect change within the school community. In the words of Dr. King: “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

-Matt Morello

Morello and his wife, Jodi, have lived in Malverne for nearly nine years. The two educators - he teaches English, she teaches art - held a meeting in Lakeview in August 2011 to discuss opening up a charter school in District 12.