Support for school mediation, lower student activity fees voiced by state lawmakers at Hope Street forum

WICHITA, Kan. – When leaders of Hope Street Youth Development and the United Teachers of Wichita co-hosted a candidate’s forum prior to November 2004 elections, it was a chance to get potential officeholders on record and present concerns before state representatives were voted in.

The strategy was a good one: Five of the seven candidates who attended the forum won their seats. Hope Street, meanwhile, won commitments from all five during the forum and demanded that they work with the organization on youth issues.

A candidates forum sponsored by Hope Street Youth Development and United Teachers of Wichita won commitments from five participants who went on to win seats as state representatives.

During the October forum, youth and teachers posed questions to the candidates. Hope Street focused on two main issues: First, youth addressed discriminatory fees charged to take part in extra-curricular activities. Youth benefit dramatically from these activities but the high costs of uniforms, team membership, equipment and travel often limits participation because families can’t afford the fees. The candidates committed to working with Hope Street to find a way to limit the costs of extra-curricular activities.

Second, Hope Street youth testified about conflict mediation programs that could help curb violence at schools without suspensions and expulsions. Youth leaders argued mediation programs have worked in other school districts and were needed in Wichita. The programs help break the cycle that marks students as juvenile offenders and ultimately leads them into the adult prison system, they added. The candidates promised to work with Hope Street to bring mediation programs to Wichita.

The forum co-host, the United Teachers of Wichita, is the National Education Association/American Federation of Teachers affiliate in the Wichita School District. The forum meeting marked the first time the union and Hope Street coordinated efforts to improve policies for youth and teachers. In previous instances, the teachers union and Hope Street have often been at odds. Hope Street recently secured overwhelming wins in campaigns against school suspensions and expulsions. The Wichita School Board decided to limit the number of credit hours suspended youth lose and gave suspended youth access to school work. The teachers union supported suspension and expulsions as means of getting rid of students who caused disruptions. Data collected at the end of last school year showed suspensions and expulsions in 2003-04 were half of what they were in 2002-03.