Teachers, community show enthusiasm for schools

It is clear Lorain City Schools teachers have a passion for education and great care for their students, said the new chairman of the Lorain Academic Distress Commission. On Feb. 26, Ohio Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria announced the appointment of Randall Sampson as the next leader of the Lorain Academic Distress Commission. The board oversees the academic turnaround process for Lorain Schools to get out from under the state’s rating of “academic distress.” Three days later, Sampson turned up in the district hoping to meet people and gain information about what’s happening on the ground instead of relying on reports and briefings that offer one side or point of view. He said he wanted to get a feel of the culture and people of Lorain Schools.

On the ground

Sampson visited Frank Jacinto and Admiral King elementary schools, along with the district administrative offices. He said he timed his visit to Lorain High School at the end of

the school day — a time that indicates the culture of the school. At Lorain High, “it was very orderly, there were kids being kids, hanging out,” he said. The JROTC students were doing drills, the basketball team was practicing for the March 2 game and students and teachers generally were talking, apparently not in a hurry to clear out of the building, Sampson said. Teachers were passionate, using the phrase “our kids” to describe their students, he said. “So all the teachers have deep-rooted ownership in this community and their practices, very passionate about their kids,” Sampson said. He emphasized the point, calling it “a big, big deal” with a community ready to make a big step forward for schools. So far, Sampson said he is “very impressed” with the 2018-19 gap closing accomplishments of Garfield, Helen Steiner Rice, Larkmoor and Toni Morrison elementaries and Southview Middle School. All of them earned an A or B on the 2018-19 Ohio Report Card for their gap closing results. “The gap closing component shows how well schools are meeting the performance expectations for our most vulnerable students in English, language arts, math and English language proficiency,” Sampson said. “The commitment by teachers, students and the community is absolutely amazing.”

The nomination

For his appointment, Sampson said he was approached by the Ohio Department of Education about serving on the Lorain Academic Distress Commission. House Bill 70, the state law governing schools in academic distress, and the school districts of Lorain and Youngstown are known around Ohio, Sampson said, but he was not readily familiar with details about daily operations in those districts. After considering the request for a couple days, he said he accepted. “I really felt like it was the right fit for me, and I would be the right fit for Lorain because of my personality,” Sampson said. “I’m not a top-down manager; I don’t want to micromanage people. “My thing is always to empower teachers, provide them with the tools that they need and provide the district with aligned resources to help kids.” It is clear the Lorain community is passionate about providing the best opportunities for its young people, Sampson said. As chairman, Sampson said he knows he is not a savior of a school district. “I am one person trying to do the best that I can with the skills that I have to help out a community and give them the best that they deserve,” he said. “The kids deserve the best that we have.”

Growing up

A native of South Africa, Sampson, 45, emigrated to the United States with his family when he was a grade-school student in 1983. He recalled a delay in their flight landing in New York, so as the airliner circled above the city, he could look out over the Statue of Liberty. Sampson said his mother found a job as nurse in Columbus, so he grew up in that part of Ohio. Eventually, he attended The Ohio State University, earning his master’s degree in education there and a doctorate from Capella University. “To this day, I still have this drive and passion to give back as much as I can for a great country that has given me so much, that has given me such opportunity, coming from apartheid to definitely the land of the free and the home of the brave,” Sampson said. “I do everything in my power to give back and my give back is to K-12 education, making sure that kids have the best opportunities and have access to the best learning opportunities possible.” Students’ best actions happen due to their teachers, so supporting educators is part of that mission, he said. Sampson is the founder of Liberty Leadership Development, a consulting firm devoted to improving education through school culture, or the behaviors, beliefs and values of a school. Although he does not have any family connections in Lorain County, Sampson said once the appointment was announced, word spread over social media and local residents began asking people about him. Incidentally, Sampson’s native language is English, but he has an advanced understanding of Afrikaans, a language related to Dutch and spoken in South Africa and other countries.

Meeting soon?

Sampson said he intends to coordinate with the Lorain Academic Distress Commission members to schedule a meeting, hopefully in March. He has not yet spoken to his fellow commissioners about a possible joint meeting with the Lorain City Schools board, Mayor Chase Ritenauer and school district CEO David Hardy Jr. But Sampson said he would have a conversation about it. “The goal is always to be productive, right?” Sampson said. “So, if we’re all going to be adults and have a conversation together, let’s problem solve together instead of one side trying to beat up on the other to make a political point. “That’s not advantageous and it’s not good for kids.” The mission of the Lorain Academic Distress Commission is not to be around 10, 15 or 20 years, Sampson said. He used the analogy of a parent helping a child learn to ride a bicycle, running alongside with a hand on the back of the seat to hold them steady. Once the district turns around, Sampson said he will let go and step away.