Written by Jamie Parsons
A recent letter sent from District 4 Council Member Monica Montgomery Steppe has the San Diego Unified School Board worried. Within her four-page letter, she discussed her concerns relating to racial inequality occurring in Lincoln High School and demanded the Board answer her composed list of invasive and insignificant questions.
Montgomery’s main concern stems from the supposed achievement gap of Black students and the unconstitutional segregation creeping into Lincoln High School. In her letter, she references the Brown vs. Board of Education case and states she notices the familiar mistreatment of African American students in Lincoln High School. However, the Brown vs Board of Education was associated with the separate educational facilities of White and African American students in schools, and Montgomery’s letter is associated with an achievement gap of Black students. One of these was a groundbreaking civil rights case, while the other is built off unfounded accusations.
One of the main topics that Montgomery focused on was graduation rates, emphasizing not enough Black students are graduating. According to Channel 7 San Diego, “Lincoln Highschool graduation rate was at 84.1% in 2020, up from 79.9% in 2019.” The rise in graduation rates shows the amount of Black students graduating is increasing.
Although Montgomery worries racism is occurring on the Board, San Diego Unified School Board vice-president, Sharon Whitehurst-Payne has openly stated they are aware of an achievement gap in Lincoln high School however, this cannot be seen by the graduation rates. “There is an achievement gap that we’re addressing, and that’s why we focus on the ninth grade, that’s why we’re focusing on what’s happening at the elementary schools and middle schools, and that’s why we’re now saying, ‘Let’s correct that at the ninth-grade level and then move forward,” Whitehurst-Payne said.
In Montgomery’s letter, she frequently restates her disapproval of the leadership team at Lincoln High School, focusing mainly on the new Principle, claiming the change in leadership is a factor in the achievement gap of Black students. However, Stephanie Brown, principal of Lincoln High, was hired in 2019. The same year we saw graduation rates begin to increase.
As Montgomery frantically throws accusations in the air in order to eliminate racism within the San Diego Unified School Board, her true intentions start to unravel all around her. So the question remains, was her letter sent to secure racial equality, or was it an effort to cast doubt on the leadership at Lincoln High?
