Nov 26, 2003 2 min read

Albert Gallatin School Board President John Gruskowski was annoyed with a report card by the Allegheny Conference on Community Development that found his district’s students aren’t performing as they should. Albert Gallatin board members and administrators said high-schoolers are doing a fine job academically. They scored the highest of any local districts on the SAT, and its academic team is advancing to the playoffs in KDKA’s high school quiz show. Those achievements are worth bragging rights. But that isn’t the full picture. The conference’s report card was based on standardized tests – the same standards that the state and country are using to determine if kids are learning what they should. The conference, though, expects better results than the state now demands. If that irks people, fine. Perhaps it will spur them to think.

What it shouldn’t do is create a tussle between schools and businesses as evidenced by Gruskowski’s remarks. “I believe it is the business community and the economic gurus who use us as an excuse. What jobs have they produced in Fayette County? …I contend they are not interested in skilled labor. They are interested in cheap labor. …I think maybe we should hold some of them accountable. You create the jobs. You show the jobs. I’m sick and tired of people saying we are the problem and saying look at the administration and the school board, because all of us up here care about the kids.”

Businesses developers could easily shoot back that it’s hard to entice employers to locate or expand if the labor force isn’t prepared for the jobs.

Both sides make valid points. But if arguments remain mired in a chicken or egg debate, little will change.

Fortunately in Fayette County there is some blending of business and education in the REACH (Reaching Education Achievement with Community Help) initiative. If the best minds in business and education can join forces, there is hope for growth in both student achievement and jobs.