School volunteer pledges catch on

Credit the monotony of driving Interstate 8 near Yuma in July for an idea one Tucson mom is sure would get more parents involved in schools.

That's when Lori Oien spotted the sky-blue, cloud-decorated Arizona "alternative fuel" license plate on a truck speeding by, a truck whose owner might have collected a big tax credit for buying or refitting the vehicle. She wondered why the state couldn't give a similar tax credit to parents who volunteer in schools.

Oien made her idea for a $25- per-volunteer-hour tax credit public Friday night during Tucson Town Hall 2: Teaching Tucson's Children. The forum, sponsored by the Arizona Daily Star and other local media outlets, brought together about 250 people who care about improving Tucson's schools.

Among the other ideas presented:

* A call for parental involvement to be part of the curriculum for college students learning to be teachers.

* Better outreach from schools to parents.

* Conducting more parent-teacher lobbying trips to the state Capitol.

Oien's tax-credit proposal came soon after state Rep. Marion Pickens, a Tucson Republican, asked panelists for ways the Legislature could help get parents involved in education.

Pickens approached the idea cautiously, however, saying after the panel discussion, "Some of our tax credits are going to get us into big trouble."

The credit for equipping vehicles to use alternative fuels, which averaged $21,000 per vehicle, has cost Arizona taxpayers more than $24 million since 2000.

Pickens, who serves on the House Education Committee, said such a tax credit for volunteers would reduce the amount of tax money available for public education as a whole.

"We're looking at revenue going into the General Fund," she said. "You have to understand where that money comes from and have to look at that very carefully to see if the benefits are worth it."

Some school districts - such as Flowing Wells and Vail - have volunteer coordinators at schools who are charged with getting parents and the community involved in education.

Pickens questioned why other districts don't do that, too.

"But in a way, it's a parent obligation to get involved," she said.

"My parents cared enough to make my teachers care." Pam Cory, Cholla High graduate

"If we're going to pay parents, are we going to pay kids to get A's?" Pickens said. "Where does it end?"

-But Oien, who has two children attending Tucson Unified School District's Collier Elementary School, said tax credits for school volunteers would be a sound investment for the state.

Seeing their parents in schools will send a message to students that education is important, which in turn could spur them on to learn the skills for higher-paying jobs.

She said schools would have to verify the time parents spend volunteering and that the tax credit could be capped so that it does not overburden the state's budget.

Panelist Diana Boros, who has three children attending Amphitheater schools, found the idea of financial incentives to get people into the classroom intriguing.

"If the state would go ahead and tabulate the hours given by volunteers, and realize how much money they save by having those volunteers in the schools, they'd be surprised," Boros said.

A tax credit or deferral of property taxes is worth exploring, Boros said.

"I'd like to see it be done for the older folks, those who have something to give," she said. "It's an idea I had never thought of before."

A tax credit of some kind could help bring in "gap community" parents, those who fall between the current volunteers and people who can't volunteer at all because of work schedules or other conflicts, Boros said.

State Rep. Linda Lopez, a Democrat on the House Appropriations and Education committees, said she too had concerns about the expense of Oien's proposal.

Lopez also said the plan is unlikely to make it easier for working, lower-income parents to volunteer at schools. She said they need time off work, not a tax credit.

"What I think would be more appropriate is if we have some encouragement for businesses to let employees take a certain amount of time off to volunteer at schools," she said.

Using volunteers

Brenda Goldsmith, a parent of two students at Amphi's Wilson K-8 School, said that too often teachers don't know how to use parents who want to volunteer.

Goldsmith asked panelists how college students learning to become teachers are taught to effectively use volunteers in their classrooms.

Panelist Steve Olguin, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Sunnyside's Apollo Middle School and a University of Arizona graduate, told her they don't.

"We were not taught in the College of Education how to communicate with the parent," Olguin told Goldsmith. "For me that happened on the job."

After the session Goldsmith said such a skill should be part of a future teacher's college education.

"There are some teachers who seem intimidated by parents," she said.

Others, she said, embrace parents who want to take the time to help in the classroom, giving parents tasks to assist in lessons.

Goldsmith said all schools should use experienced teachers who know how to effectively utilize volunteers to train colleagues less skilled or comfortable with the process.

Reaching out

"There's nothing like getting a personal phone call from a teacher, saying, 'We need you - can you be part of this?' " Sonia Lopez Knop, Sunnyside parent

While panelists agreed that more money for schools would go a long way toward improving education, they said there is no reason to wait for the check to arrive before reaching out to parents.

Claudia Jensen, a kindergarten teacher at Butterfield Elementary School in Marana, said it takes some imagination.

For example, last week the parents and pupils were invited to a kindergarten kickoff picnic at the school. Families brought their own picnic dinners and sat on the grass in the school yard, getting to know each other and the school staff members.

The kindergarten teachers put on two subsequent workshops for parents to let them know about lesson plans, classroom rules and how they can help.

It's important for parents and teachers to get to know each other in a relaxed atmosphere, town hall participants said.

"It humanizes the teacher to the parents," Jensen said.

Apollo Middle School teacher Olguin agreed, adding that teachers must be part of the community at large because some parents are afraid to approach the school.

"We have to not only go out and invite parents in, but go out and meet them outside of school, like at the neighborhood center," Olguin said. "Parents are the sleeping giant in education."

A simple phone call can make a difference, said Sonia Lopez Knop, who has four kids in Sunnyside schools.

"There's nothing like getting a personal phone call from a teacher saying, 'We need you - can you be a part of this?' " Knop said.

The efforts should also reach into the classroom because small gestures make a big difference, said Ashley Basij, who attends Booth-Fickett Magnet School in TUSD.

"I've had the best teachers, those who stayed with you until you understood everything," she said. "And I've had the worst, those who are there for the money and just want to get paid."

Naylor Middle School pupil Ameshea Grays said pupils pick up on the vibes teachers put out, and it has an effect on their education.

"Pay more attention to students," she said. "Talk to them, show them you care about being a teacher in that class."

Lobbying

Putting a human face on education can make a difference when it comes to getting the Legislature to pay attention.

The Marana Unified School District has put together a lobbying team to make sure lawmakers are listening.

"We go to the Legislature, and we pound on a lot of doors," said Butterfield Elementary School Principal Rocco Sugameli.

Rep. Linda Lopez, who also sits on the Sunnyside School Board, said lobbying from parents and teachers gets the attention of lawmakers.

"If there's an impression that the people are talking to you because they have something to gain, such as financial, you tend not to listen as much," she said. "When you've got a grass-roots effort, and people are there because it's an issue they care about . . . it does make a big difference."

Amphitheater parent Diana Boros writes letters to Gov. Jane Hull and legislators but thinks seeing lawmakers in person is vital.

She catches Tucson's elected officials at county meetings and other local events instead of driving to their Phoenix offices.

"I would love to see all our schools shut down and have a march on the Capitol," Boros said. "We would ring that building and shut them down and tell them, 'You can't expect our society to put children in the back seat.' "

Just as schools should invite parents onto campus, they should extend the invitation to lawmakers, Boros said.

"We need to humanize the process for them: They need to sit in the classroom of 40 kids, to go into that school where they don't have books," Boros said. "It is not real until you walk through it and see it - it's easy to sit up there in Phoenix and say, 'Sorry, there's no more money.'

"A parent will go without to make sure their children have enough," Boros said.

"The Legislature should go without to make sure the children have a good education."

* Contact Hipolito R. Corella at 573-4191 or at corella@azstarnet.com
* Contact Sarah Garrecht Gassen at 573-4117 or at sgassen@azstarnet.com.

A sampling of what the community has to say
Advice for teachers “Pay more attention to students. If you see a kid's work slacking off, take him aside and find out why.” Ameshea Grays, pupil, Tucson's Naylor Middle School	Advice for parents “You can't be afraid to be an advocate for your child.” Diana Boros three children in Amphitheater schools
Where to find answers “I'm always amazed to see how precise students can be to get to the heart of a problem.” Barbara Wayne Palo Verde High principal	Tax credits for volunteers? “You need an incentive to bring parents into the schools.” Lori Oien two children in Tucson schools
More time for learning “I think we have to stand up and say no to testing.” Marilyn Freed, Tucson Education Association president	Teacher's challenge “A child who is hungry can't learn. A parent who is working two or three jobs to make ends meet can't read to their children every night; they don't have time.” Claudia Jensen kindergarten teacher, Marana's Butterfield Elementary
Untapped resources “Parents are the sleeping giants in education and we have to get them involved.” Steve Olguin, social studies teacher, Sunnyside's Apollo Middle School	Three R's — and a ŒV' “Do teachers learn how to involve parents as volunteers?” Brenda Goldsmith two students in Tucson Unified School District
A total community “As long as we have one parent who feels left out of the school, we haven't done our job.” Rocco Sugameli, principal, Marana's Butterfield Elementary	Taking the first step “It comes down to a simple decision ‹ to physically get involved in your child's life.” Hugh McLaughlin, PTA and Soleng Tom Elementary parent

Take the pledge — it'll show you take education seriously

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

The Star and KVOA-TV have joined to help keep alive the spirit of "Tucson Town Hall 2: Teaching Tucson's Children."

Beginning today and continuing through the next two Sundays, the Star will publish a pledge of involvement in our children's education, one pledge each for different segments of the community - parents, employers and the community as a whole.

"It's sometimes hard to get started when you think of how you as an individual can improve something as vast as our educational system," said Dennis Joyce, assistant managing editor of the Star. "This pledge is a simple beginning that we hope will produce big results for our children."

You can take the pledge, tear it out of the paper or print it out from your computer, and stick it on your refrigerator at home or your bulletin board at work.

Tell us you've done it by sending in the attached tab, and we'll collect the names of Tucson's pledge-takers. We'll publish the names so all can see how seriously Tucson considers the value of community involvement.

We'll also use this information to report through the school year on the ways that involvement is working.

The first 500 people who send in the information will receive a free "Teaching Tucson's Children" bumper sticker - another sign of how important you consider this effort.

"The people at Eyewitness News 4 and our friends at the Daily Star welcome the chance to give people this opportunity," said Lisa Contreras, news director at KVOA. "It's a commitment we can make to our children, and it makes me feel good about what we do."

August 25, 2001

250 share in a vision

Jeffry Scott / Staff Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant, at left, a part-time area resident, moderates the parental-involvement section of the Town Hall. Participants, from left, included Bill Stapleton, Hugh McLaughlin, Diana Boros, Sonia Knop and Rocky Sugameli.

ARIZONA DAILY STAR

Panels hear variety of ways for residents to get involved