We must make prosperity a priority in all areas of Dayton
Images of Dayton vary from person to person. Some think of long-standing, notable landmarks such as Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Dayton Art Institute, University of Dayton, Veterans Administration, and other high-profile institutions. Those who have entertainment and historic neighborhoods high on their list of attractions think of Wright Dunbar, Water Street and the Oregon District as popular locations.
For those who worked and retired in the Dayton area, their image of Dayton may be a memory of what Dayton once was: a city of several major companies such as NCR, Mead, Dayco, McCall’s Printing, Phillips Industry, General Motors, Standard Register, St. Elizabeth Hospital and Good Samaritan Hospital, to name a few.
People who remember Dayton’s heydays recall its population of 260,000 residents and public school enrollment of 60,000 students and wonder aloud, “What happened and where did everybody go?” Dayton’s current population is 137,000 with 13,000 students in the public schools.
Dayton’s history in its peak-performing days of the 1960s and 1970s is captured in our book, “Blood In the Streets, Racism, Riots and Murders in the Heartland of America.” In it, we vividly recount Dayton before and during its economic downturns, describing Dayton’s struggles with deep racial divides, west side riots, grinding poverty, school desegregation, high crime, white flight and high unemployment.
The decline of academic performance in Dayton Public Schools had sweeping consequences across the entire community. Business leaders saw impacts of poor performing schools on property values as homeowners abandoned the city. School ratings impacted major company decisions when researching cities and states for expansion and relocation. A troubled school system attracts or produces far fewer high tech workers. Businesses find it is a better investment to pick up and go where the grass is already greener.
It is not easy to look at Dayton now and remember how vibrant it once was. How can Dayton grow? How can Dayton improve its public schools and achieve an excellence rating? How can Dayton attract new high tech industries and major professional employers to join with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Care Source, University of Dayton and other similar employers to invest in this community and continue to make Dayton a city of choice in which to live, work and learn?
The current acting superintendent said we must get back to basics in education, make it a priority and invest in academic excellence in Dayton Public Schools so we can enhance the outlook for the future of Dayton. We must prioritize the need to grow a technical workforce and incentivize major employers to establish a physical presence in our west side communities. Most of our west side has been in steady decline for more than 50 years.
Need evidence? Take a drive out West Third Street from the river to the VA Center and see hundreds of vacant lots, abandoned houses, struggling businesses and small Black churches. A rising tide lifts all boats — if they are all in the same water where the tide is rising. We must make prosperity a priority in all areas of Dayton, particularly economically oppressed areas. It is time for economic development plans to become inclusive and a reality, no longer just a rolling 20-year plan with no life off the drawing board. We still have opportunities to make Dayton stronger.
Dayton Police Chief Kamran Afzal told the City Commission in February, “We are one of the most violent cities in the United States of America.” A cold, but accurate assessment of an element of Dayton’s image regarding public safety. Likewise, when we strengthen our weakest economic and safety links on the east and west sides, north and south, the entire chain becomes stronger.
It is not time to relax and marvel at improvements in a few areas of Dayton. Success is not final and we have realized but a fraction of Dayton’s potential.