Dilworth: ‘I can’t do it’ alone

• By CHARLES LUSSIER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jul 7, 2009 - Page: 1B

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

John Dilworth on Monday faced the public for the first time since taking over as East Baton Rouge Parish school superintendent and was quick to ask for help.

“I can’t do it (alone). I really can’t do it,” Dilworth said. “But we can do some really powerful things together for children.”

Dilworth, formerly superintendent in Montgomery, Ala., spoke Monday to a small audience at McKinley Middle Magnet School. It was the first of four public forums Dilworth is planning over the next week as part of “listening tour” he’s conducting to get to know the community.

Tonight’s forum is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at Woodlawn High School, 15755 Jefferson Highway. Two more forums are scheduled next week at Istrouma and Scotlandville high schools.

Dilworth did not announce grand plans Monday. He credited Charlotte Placide, who retired as superintendent June 30, for leaving him with a good system with many good programs.

“I can tell you she worked until the last hour,” Dilworth said. “She never coasted.”

While he spoke plainly Monday, Dilworth did not give simple answers and said he’s not afraid of saying he doesn’t know something.

Julie Franklin, a teacher’s aide, said the school she works at has an “extreme lack of parental involvement” and asked Dilworth what he planned to do about it.

Dilworth said low parental involvement has many causes, but he said he plans to put a special effort into improving customer service. He said principals are key in setting a good tone so that parents feel welcome.

“I promise that you will have no slacker principals,” he said.

All adults, though, help or hurt children’s behavior by how they interact with others, Dilworth said.

“We can’t depend on only the people at schools to model positive behavior,” Dilworth said. “Every adult is a character education teacher.”

Parent Angela Copeland asked Dilworth for his thoughts on lowering class sizes.