City OKs extending Obama-era program
City Council unanimously approved the extension of My Brother’s Keeper Houston, an Obama-era youth initiative, despite lingering questions about its effectiveness and presence in local schools.
Launched shortly after then-President Barack Obama’s 2014 My Brother’s Keeper nationwide initiative, the program aims to improve educational and career outcomes for boys and young men of color. The White House estimated at the time that closing these achievement gaps could boost the national gross domestic product by 2%.
Managed by the Health Department, the My Brother’s Keeper Houston program currently supports 220 students across seven schools to improve their attendance, grades and health, according to Health Director Stephen Williams. Its primary goal is to engage at-risk youth early on to minimize their future interactions with the criminal justice system, he said.
On Wednesday, council approved the use of additional external funding to continue and expand the initiative. The program has secured $700,000 for the fiscal year that starts in July.
The vote, however, came after intense scrutiny in a Government Operations Committee meeting Tuesday, where several council members questioned whether the program is making an impact on the ground or is visible enough for school staff to be aware of its existence.
Council Member Twila Carter said she spoke with employees of all seven schools where the program has been implemented, and staff from three of them told her they were unaware the initiative was still active. She also noted that Attucks Middle School has been running a coed version of the program for several years, deviating from My Brother’s Keeper’s original intent.
“How are the results measured? Is there something that’s an ongoing oversight? Because clearly… they’re out of whack,” Carter said during the Tuesday committee meeting. “I have no issue with what the program is targeting to do, but I think defining what it is doing is really what I’d like to see.”
Jarett Fields, a program director at the Social Justice Learning Institute, defended My Brother’s Keeper Houston chapter at the Tuesday meeting, saying his team assigns two members to visit all seven schools daily. His group, a California-based nonprofit with a local office, helps fund and manage the program.
Fields did not immediately respond to a request for a list of program contacts at participating schools or students’ attendance records.
Williams said the recent state takeover of the Houston Independent School District has created additional barriers for coordinators to access the schools. But above all, he said, the department simply does not have enough money to carry out all the activities the team would like to implement.
Right now, My Brother’s Keeper does not receive any general fund dollars from the city. It relies, instead, on funds from the Section 1115 Medicaid waiver — a federal health care revenue source — and in-kind contributions from the Social Justice Learning Institute.
“We know that the need is far greater, but we did not want to not do anything because we couldn’t go everywhere we were needed,” Williams said.
A number of council members said they were unsatisfied with the responses from Fields and Williams, voicing concerns over the inadequate evaluation and oversight of the program.
Council Member Letitia Plummer, chair of the Government Operations Committee, said “mistakes have possibly been made.” At the same time, she highlighted the initiative’s potential to become a valuable resource for families of color in need of assistance.
Health Department analysis of U.S. Census and police data shows Black youth lag behind other groups in reading proficiency and are more likely to be arrested and charged.
“I’m a mother of three Black boys, and if I was not in a position to be able to take care of them, this would be a program that I probably would need for them,” Plummer said during Wednesday’s council meeting. “Trust that I will work with every single one of you to make this program the best possible.”
Other council members, in response to Plummer’s plea, expressed their willingness to allow the program more time to establish clearer parameters. Council Member Tarsha Jackson also emphasized the need to partner with local grassroots organizations that have existing connections within Black and brown communities.
“The one issue that I have with the program is the fact that we’re using an organization out in California,” Jackson said. “We do have quite a few organizations that do great work here in Houston that I feel they should be collaborating with, and that way … we can make sure that (the program has) been implemented properly.”
Mayor John Whitmire, who rolled out his administration’s council committee structure last month, said the Wednesday vote showcases the value of committee reviews for key proposals.
He recently clashed with some council members over whether items introduced under Proposition A — which allows any three council members to place an item on the agenda — should undergo committee review before being presented to the full council.
“Council Member Plummer, your leadership and rapid response to an issue that could have been divisive brought us together this morning,” Whitmire said Wednesday. “I think not every issue needs to go to committee, but when we see one where more information would benefit each and every member, I think we ought to grab it.”