Bridgeport · Students

Board Chair Baraka Offers No Solutions, Only Complaints

Bridgeport Board of Education Chairwoman Sauda Baraka is apparently content with watching thousands of students fail. She simply does not care about them, and it’s obvious.

How do we know this for sure? Well, it’s not because she uses public Board of Education meetings to rally her shock troops against proposals like Great Oaks and Capital Prep Harbor School.

That’s certainly an unethical abuse of power, but that alone doesn’t demonstrate Baraka’s lack of interest in the English language learners who attend school in Bridgeport.

We know she doesn’t care because she hasn’t proposed any solutions. Not one. Not a single idea. Nothing.

She’s the chairwoman of the Bridgeport Board of Education, so she must know that eight out of 10 English language learners in the city aren’t reading at grade level. She must know that half of them aren’t graduating high school.

These are facts of which Bridgeport Board of Education Chairwoman Sauda Baraka must be aware. If she’s not, we have bigger problems.

So — assuming she does know just how many English language learners are falling through the cracks in Bridgeport — what does Baraka propose to do about it?

We know what Baraka doesn’t want to happen. We know she does not in any way want a new school, designed to help English language learners, to be built for the city.

We know that because she is so vehemently against the proposal for Great Oaks Charter School, which is based on a very successful model already running in New Jersey and New York.

What we have not heard is what Baraka intends to do for those thousands of English language learners.

Considering how long she’s been in charge, we arrive at the only conclusion that makes any sense. Put simply: She. Does. Not. Care.

And if Sauda Baraka happens to read this and takes offense, I’d say words are cheap, Madame Chairwoman. Actions speak louder. Show us you care about those thousands of kids.

Do something other than shoot down ideas — try offering one yourself — or, when April 2 rolls around and the Great Oaks proposal is considered by the State Board of Education, kindly support it or step out of the way.

 

 

To comment on this and other stories, please check out the Education Bridgeport! Facebook

What do you think?

More Comments