 |
|
|
||
|
By S. Renee Mitchell When Kevin Chavous, the nation's leading charter school advocate, came to Portland with his tailored suit and White House cuff links signed by President Clinton, Cynthia Guyer squeezed in an early breakfast with him before her East Coast flight. Under Chavous' leadership, Washington, D.C., spent $350 million to shift from zero charter schools to 40 in six years. And yet, he believes he and Guyer are nearly equal in their passion for educating children most at risk of failing a one-size-fits-all education. "There's no doubt in my mind," Chavous says, "that she's a phenomenal leader." In five months, Guyer is quitting her job as founding executive director of the Portland Schools Foundation. She says it is merely coincidental that she released her Oct. 27 retirement letter less than two weeks before voters decide on a $33 million local option property tax for public schools. "It's the anniversary of my hire," she says. "That's kind of symbolic to me." What's more telling is how Guyer built the foundation as an "independent, community-based voice." "The work that I am most proud about is the work on equity and closing the gap for all kids," she says. "When I wake up every day and go to work, those are the issues I care most about." On a local and national level, Guyer created a model for how a nonprofit can grow from borrowed chairs to a multimillion-dollar budget and, at the same time, successfully engage the community in discussions that focus on raising achievement levels. She and the foundation have been unrelenting champions "for making sure low-income children and children of color are getting access to a quality education," says Wendy Puriefoy, president of the Public Education Network, which advances public-school reform in low-income areas. Although Guyer is too shy to publicly tout her legacy as a reformer, those who saw her in action say she was skilled at strong-arming the district to accelerate its pace of change. "I say do whatever works," she says, "and don't wait around for five and 10 more years to see the evidence." To that end, Guyer let it publicly slip that she didn't agree with school Superintendent Vicki Phillips' recent decision to close neighborhood schools and restructure others into K-8s. She also was unhappy with the clumsy process that shoved Jefferson High's reforms down parents' throats. And she pushed for approval of several charter school proposals. "She thought the foundation could be a motivator of school improvement," says local charter school advocate Rob Kremer, "not just something there to get money and give it over to the schools." The foundation did raise many millions of dollars in donations and grants, such as the recent $9 million investment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Meyer Memorial Trust. But at the same time, it pressured the district for more accurate -- and transparent -- accountability. "This is the name of the game," Guyer says, "not to withhold public money, but to invest with a whole new way of thinking about it." The battle, no doubt, has been uphill, and Guyer deserves a bit of rest. When she first took the job, her oldest child was in elementary school. Now, her daughter is in college, majoring in African studies. Her 14-year-old son just started high school. So, Guyer says she intends to stay in Portland. But, she adds, "I'm not making any decisions until January." In the coming months, Guyer says she plans to catch up on her personal life. For 10 years, she says, "I have not had the energy to do anything but live to fight another day." Let's hope that her replacement will continue to push for reforms that open up more options for failing students and not just retreat into a comfortable role as a cheerleader for the students and schools who need one the least. S. Renee Mitchell: 503-221-8142; rmitch@news.oregonian.com |
||||
|
|
||||