WASHINGTON -- Andres Alonso, chief executive of the Baltimore school system, told a U.S. Senate subcommittee yesterday that more than 40,000 students in his district are at risk of dropping out, and increased money for mentoring programs would help reduce the number.
Alonso .joined representatives from the Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago and Milwaukee school districts in an appearance before the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. They spoke about the need to expand mentoring services for disadvantaged students. The committee oversees federal funding for educational services.
Each district, including Baltimore, recently got a $4.8 million grant from the Department of Education to be used over the two years for mentoring programs and dropout prevention. Yesterday's hearing focused on renewed funding for the programs.
Sen. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, the ranking Republican on the panel, called for the hearing to determine how many mentors are needed in some of the country's most troubled school districts and how much money supplying them would cost.
Alonso said during the hearing that Baltimore City has 83,000 students and about half are "at risk" -- in danger of dropping out. He said he calculated the figure by dividing the total number of students by the dropout rate, a formula he said is consistent with that used by most urban school districts.
Alonso said he would like to provide a mentor for every at-risk student.
"The goal is to begin the discussion as to what we should be thinking about in terms of cost," Alonso said after the hearing. "The grant is just an entry piece of the conversation because, clearly, the grant is not enough. It's just a drop in the bucket as to what we need."
Alonso did not offer an amount that he believes his district needs for mentoring programs. Instead, he said he would like to see every school have a mentor coordinator who would link students with leaders in the business and academic communities.
"The question in terms of getting mentors is not just the question of dollars but the question of what is in place in terms of who is the right mentor and the availability of the business community," Alonso said.
On July 1, Alonso took the helm of Baltimore's public schools after serving as deputy chancellor of the New York City school system. The Baltimore school system applied for its grant before he arrived, but he said he wanted to appear before the subcommittee because he is the system's leader and it's an area he feels strongly about.
Specter said during the hearing that he is a believer in the validity of mentoring. He said he held yesterday's session to bring the issue to the forefront.
Spector said "realistic" mentoring programs on a "one-on-one basis" could provide "short-term help to troubled youths and cut down absenteeism from school and violent crime."
brent.jones@baltsun.com