I’m pleased to introduce Keith Benson, a Camden High teacher and Camden resident. You can find him on twitter at @CamdenEANJ. Keith is frustrated that local media (particularly the Inky and Courier-Post) haven’t accepted teachers’ op-eds on Camden’s public education story. I asked him if he would be willing to contribute his take here. A big thank you to Keith for being willing to do so publicly. I’m looking forward to all of your responses and hope that this blog can help foster public dialogue on the intersection between democracy and education. As always, all views welcome:

In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Paulo Freire wrote:

“Any situation in which some men prevent others from engaging in the process of inquiry is one of violence;… to alienate humans from their own decision making is to change them into objects” and later, “One cannot expect positive results from an educational or political action program which fails to respect the particular view of the world held by the people. Such a program constitutes cultural invasion, good intentions notwithstanding.”  

Governor Christie and Mayor Dana Redd probably have not read Freire…

Camden 2014: a city ravaged by poverty, unemployment, violence, and now, more problematic, is a municipality where the basic democratic rights of its low-income residents are increasingly being stripped away. 2013 saw Camden’s City Police force dismantled despite city-wide protest and petitions signed by over 9,000 residents seeking to simply have a vote on the matter. Mayor Redd went so far as to sue the residents of Camden to forcibly terminate the Camden Police to form the county-run police force, disregarding resident input or say-so.

Also in 2013, the NJ State Department of Education took over the school system at the request of Mayor Redd; and, further adding insult to democratic injury, Governor Chris Christie and Education Commissioner Chris Cerf also stripped the Board of Education from the right to select the Superintendent after conducting its own national search. Subsequently, the Mayor and only pre-selected, politically connected Camden residents were on hand this past summer at a closed-to-the-public press conference where Christie introduced his selection for the Camden Schools chief; a Teach for America alum with two years classroom teaching experience and a bachelor’s degree in economics. 

 The blatant democratic encroachments of 2013, endured by Camden’s citizens, are a symptomatic of the Governor’s and Mayor’s modus operandi of the future; that democratic participation by the poor and minority people of Camden is a hindrance, not an asset, and thus should be avoided at all costs.

Unfortunately, in the months ahead, we will witness a further, more troublesome eroding of residents’ rights by the direction the state-run Camden Board of Education is poised to take with little regard for residents’ wishes, or opportunity for meaningful participation. To satisfy the educational agenda of Governor Christie, Commissioner Cerf, Mayor Redd, and George Norcross III, the state-run Camden school system, under the new state-appointed superintendent and mayoral-appointed Board of Education, despite overwhelming research that closing neighborhood schools serves no academic benefit to children, destabilizes communities, and puts children in greater peril by forcing them to traverse farther on city streets, is sure to shutter numerous public schools next year, while opening more politically friendly, corporate-run charter schools – all without the input of those bearing most of the consequences of these decisions – Camden residents.

But this is by no means an isolated phenomenon. In fact, it is by design. Today in urban America, from Los Angeles to Newark, where there are high concentrations of poverty, and a high percentage of Black and Hispanic residents, boards of education members are being appointed by office holders rather than by direction election and superintendents are being implanted by politicos into urban public school districts from pro-privatization, pro-charter programs like the Broad Foundation, The New Teachers Project, New Leaders for New Schools, Teach for America, etc., tasked with closing public schools; all for the purpose of keeping community residents silenced and marginalized from the democratic processes that can shape their city.

Our Governor, and mayor have long communicated the idea that Camden public schools are “failing”. Mayor Redd has gone so far as to call Camden public schools a “prison pipeline”, not coincidently, around the same time South Jersey Democratic powerbroker George Norcross III extolled the virtues of Camden’s charter schools (despite lacking evidence Camden charter schools do better educating Camden children). Sadly, the well-funded, anti-urban public school message has gained traction despite the falsity of their claims. To be sure, Camden public schools are far from perfect, but the good in Camden public education far exceeds the negative attention they receive from agenda-laden politicians and power-appeasing “news” outlets like the local Courier-Post and Norcross-owned Philadelphia Inquirer.

While the justifications given by politicians for their democratically abusive behavior is simply a list of easily manipulated statistics like Camden’s NJASK and HSPA scores, and graduation rates, what politicians like Christie and Redd truly want is to break up the local teachers union (like was done to the city police), close city public schools thus pushing parents to enroll their children in corporate-run charter schools (thereby ensuring the charters’ enrollment and sustainability), and silence Camden residents’ from shaping of their own communities and education of their children (the closing and taking-over of Lanning Square Elementary school by the KIPP Charter/Cooper/Norcross school is a prime example).

And, that perhaps is the most insulting and disheartening affront. The actions of Governor Christie, Mayor Redd, and the all-appointed Board of Education, would never and have never be visited on more affluent white suburbanites, but low-income minority residents here are being forced to “take it”, and thus, by design, kept from fundamentally participating in shaping their neighborhoods and the direction of their child’s education.

“Washing one’s hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.”-P. Friere

With the recent swearing-in of Mayor Redd and her entire democratic city council ticket,  there were a slew of pre-selected attendees looking to cozy up to powered establishment that is actively disenfranchising Camden’s low-income Black and Hispanic residents. Norcross brothers George and Donald, Assemblymen Rob Andrews, County Police Chief Scott Thompson, and even Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter among other “dignitaries” were in attendance. The message in Camden going forward is clear: unless residents and educators are politically connected, and willing to do the bidding of both elected and appointed powerbrokers, participation in the future of Camden’s education and direction is not for you. And disappointingly, there seems to be no shortage of people willing to side with those in power to deny Camden residents what is rightfully theirs – their voice. 

Submitted by,

Keith E. Benson

Teacher, Camden High School

Pre-Doctoral Student, Rutgers University Graduate School of Education

Keith.benson (at) gse.rutgers.edu

 

Tags: , ,

Comments

  • I came to the Camden School Board armed with a Resolution from Camden City Council supporting a simple Bible Curriculum already implemented in 32 School Districts covering 32 States. The Bible Curriculum was an elective offered to High School Students. This was in 2001 when Camden public School district had 430 Million to build new schools and repair the rest. Board Members like Sarah Davis, Phillip Freeman, and Martha Wilson refused to give God One Minute in Camden Public Schools and our Lord and His son Jesus had the final Word. The Children’s School Construction Money dissapeared in a bankruptcy hearing by 2003. I sponsored a petition for 12 years while every leader and educator in Camden would not lift a finger or say a word in support of what God was doing across this land. In 2011 the State of Illinois has mandated a moment of silence and the Academic Freedom to discuss a Creator in the Science Classroom is taking hold. I was right then and proven right today. God is able to be acknowledge and studied in the Public Schools. Now the only thing left for Camden and her people is to demand those charters give God One Minute with your children.

  • Bravo Keith Benson. I applaud your well stated and written article. How can we get this information to the public? Maybe Camden’s name ought to be changed to Norcrossville!

  • Hey Amir where is the job you promised me. I work your campaign and everything I knew you was a liar.

    • Miguel, The company that we bought into Camden, Acts Industries, is in the process of getting their various approvals from the city. They are on track to hire their first 50 managers by March and train them on their particular product. The next phase will be to start hiring the actual laborers by the end of the second quarter. They have already made a tremendous investment in the city for this project and we look forward to them employing residents from Camden. I stay in touch with them on a regular basis and I will be glad to keep you up-to-date on their progress as well. Please feel free to email me at srworshipcenter@gmail.com
      Amir Khan

  • It is forums like this that will allow Camden residents to continue to have a voice. For to long the Mayor, Council members and Camden County Freeholders along with the Courier-Post and the Philadelphia Inquier have done all in there powers to keep the residents silent. Thank you Stephen for dedicating your time and allowing space on this blog for the residents voices to be heard.

  • Great article. The frustration and passion of Keith Benson is contagious. People are starting to get it. Frustration always precedes change. Change is coming. Thanks Keith for the insight.
    “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
    Martin Luther Jr.

  • So true and very well stated. To add insult to injury, the new school choice does not allow parents to have options. Slated Rennaisance schools bids with no evidence or research and creditability to educate our children is an experiment and should not be acceptable. Our seats are already low and there is no demand for more schools, more than enough charters and no need for the Rennaisance deregulatory legislation. To allow a private organization to takeover a public entity is not education reform, and shifts the accountability and governance from our district. This state takeover should be focusing on high quality education for our children, solutions to our problems and community & parental involvement. Not forcing governance and accountability onto the corporate world. This is promoting future drainage our education budget, segregating community, voilating our right and utilizing public goods for private interest. This is why local leadership should have been afforded to the residents. The lack of transparency, the disempowered board and the muffled voices of parents will not produce high quality education nor solve any of our problems. This is injustice!

Leave a Comment

This discussion is now closed.