Dilworth listens to varied concerns

• By CHARLES LUSSIER
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jul 8, 2009 - Page: 1B

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The new East Baton Rouge Parish school superintendent heard an earful Tuesday from parents and school employees who shared with him a range of complaints about the quality of education in Baton Rouge.

John Dilworth, his third day in his new job, mostly listened quietly and promised that he would talk about all of these concerns with his staff. But he also urged those asking him questions to think of ways they could improve their respective situations.

“Let’s stop pointing fingers at each other,” Dilworth told an audience of about 75 people at Woodlawn High School. “I say that to our parents and our administrators because you know we can do better, and let’s keep the children at the center of what we do.”

Tuesday was the second of four community forums Dilworth is holding. On Monday, Dilworth plans to visit Istrouma High and the next day he will head to Scotlandville High for the final forum. Both start at 6 p.m.

On Tuesday, Dilworth heard from a teacher upset about the stress schools place children under, a grandmother who felt she should be able to visit classes whenever she wanted, a mother with a daughter she felt is wrongly being held back a year, and a mother who is home-schooling her children until public schools improve.

Avonella Jordan was typical. She complained that her daughter’s school is an inhospitable place and it needs to change.

“We need to have zero tolerance for some of these adults,” Jordan said. “I don’t think they’d like it.”

Dilworth said he plans to listen to a lot of people during his early weeks on the job just as he did in his last superintendent’s job.

“These are problems that I saw in Montgomery (Ala.),” Dilworth said. “I’m hearing some of the same things, I’ll be honest with you.”

Dilworth said he would like Baton Rouge to be his last job, and he’s committed to working to move the district forward.

“I’m not tired because I love children. I love all children,” he said. “That’s why I love to come to work each day.”

In answering a question about what he’d do to reduce the number of students dropping out of school, Dilworth told a story about when he was a principal and he would shake the hands of students as they received their diplomas. Some he knew had been accepted into colleges or had jobs waiting for them, but not all.

“About 60 percent of them, I didn’t know where they were going to be a month from now, because you know what? We had prepared them to do nothing,” he said.