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Springfield superintendent invited by Obama to the White House

The state ranks 36th for residents who have college degrees.

Springfield School Superintendent David Estrop shows the invitation he received from the White House on Wednesday. Estrop was invited for the president's No Child Left Behind speech. Staff photo by Bill Lackey

Bill Lackey Springfield School Superintendent David Estrop shows the invitation he received from the White House on Wednesday. Estrop was invited for the president's No Child Left Behind speech. Staff photo by Bill Lackey

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By Megan Gildow-Anthony, Staff Writer Updated 10:37 PM Wednesday, September 21, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — Springfield City School District Superintendent David Estrop has been invited to the White House on Friday for a speech by President Barack Obama on waivers for No Child Left Behind.

“I am truly humbled and yet honored to be invited to be part of the president’s speech,” Estrop said.

Estrop has been vocal in his criticism of No Child Left Behind, calling it a “fundamentally broken law.”

Springfield schools had to send a federally mandated letter to the parents of 3,900 elementary school students telling them they could apply for a transfer to Snowhill Elementary because it is the only elementary building in the district to meet Adequate Yearly Progress benchmarks for the 2010-11 school year.

AYP is a federal standard established by No Child Left Behind and measures the year-to-year progress of students in sub-groups by race, disabilities, economic status and students learning the English language.

Nine of Springfield’s 10 elementary schools are deemed “failing” by the AYP standard, requiring Springfield to allow parents to transfer their students to Snowhill or a virtual school.

Estrop advised parents to leave their children in their neighborhood elementary schools, saying all of Springfield’s schools are improving and students would not be better served by overcrowding Snowhill.

Only 12 students will transfer to Snowhill from other schools this school year, Estrop said Wednesday. An additional eight students applied but the classrooms those students applied for are full.

“I am so pleased that the overwhelming majority of our parents could see through this bureaucratic nonsense,” Estrop said.

Estrop said he plans to attend the speech. He also plans to meet with U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, while in Washington, D.C.

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