Pubdate: Sun, 30 Aug 2015 Source: Baltimore Sun (MD) Copyright: 2015 The Baltimore Sun Company Contact: http://www.baltimoresun.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/37 MORE JOBS, BETTER SCHOOLS Putting city residents with minor criminal records to work on Baltimore's $1 billion school renovation project looks like a win-win situation Ask anyone who lives in Baltimore the two things the city needs most and you're likely to get the same answer: Better schools for its children and more jobs for its working-age adults. That's why a proposal to make sure as many local residents as possible get work from the $1 billion plan to rebuild the school system's aging infrastructure sounds like a winner all around. Not only will young people get the modern school facilities they deserve but thousands of the city's unemployed could finally nail down a good job paying decent wages. The plan, announced last week by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and schools CEO Gregory Thornton, calls for easing the city's hiring rules that limit the ability of those with criminal records to work in schools. Unfortunately, as a legacy of the war on drugs and Baltimore's past embrace of zero-tolerance policing, many who are most in need of the opportunities this construction spree will provide would be ineligible to benefit from it unless those restrictions are relaxed. A recurring obstacle to lowering Baltimore's high unemployment rate has been the reluctance of employers to even consider applicants with less than spotless criminal records. Even a conviction for minor crimes, such as shoplifting or possession of small amounts of marijuana, can leave a blot on a person's record that follows them for the rest of their lives. Providing some of those people with work on the school reconstruction program could help make them more attractive to private sector employers in the future. In Baltimore City last year, 23 percent of arrests made by police were for misdemeanor drug charges, the largest single category of arrests. Under current rules, none of them could apply for the school construction jobs the city will need to fill despite the fact that most of them probably pose little danger to society. The mayor and school CEO's plan would allow city contractors to hire people convicted of nonviolent misdemeanor offenses even if they occurred fewer than five years ago. That might at first glance seem like a relatively small change, but it consider what a difference it could make in the lives of the more than 9,300 people arrested for minor drug offenses in 2014. It's more than likely that at least some of them have the skills to work as carpenters, painters, secretaries or file clerks. The city should be doing everything it can to get them back on the job and working. We understand the reluctance many parents may feel to see any relaxing of these standards. The safety of children in schools is paramount. The system has considered whether to expand the pool to also include those with up to two violent misdemeanor convictions, but we would argue against it. Given how many people will be affected simply by allowing the hiring of those with nonviolent misdemeanor convictions, there is no reason to take the risk. School officials need to consult extensively with parents and city officials as they draft policies on what sort of jobs those with criminal records might be eligible for, how they will be supervised and under what conditions they can be in buildings when children are present. Although the plan doesn't need to be approved by either the school board or the City Council, officials should consult with both bodies extensively. Using school renovation funds to hire people convicted of minor crimes and help them make a fresh start in life fixing up aging school buildings looks like a win-win situation for Baltimore. Given proper safeguards, the risk to city school children seems minimal while the potential rewards are great. If the plan improves the quality of education in city schools while lowering the unemployment rate it will bring new opportunities to Baltimore's young people as well as their elders. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom