The Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200 Board of Education voted 6 to 1 to approve the filming of a documentary on OPRF’s decades-long struggle with racial inequities at a March 26 board meeting.
The vote of approval is contingent on revisions to the contract between the district and Kartemquin films, which reflect a variety of concerns brought up during the March meeting.
Steve James, the critically acclaimed filmmaker and longtime Oak Park resident who would direct the documentary, said he anticipates production to begin next fall.
But before then, he might have to win over some key members of the administration, such as D200 Superintendent Steven Isoye and members of the District Equity Leadership Team (DELT), who took firm stances against the film’s production at the March meeting.
Isoye and Phil Prale, the assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction and a member of DELT, were united in their opposition, with both bringing up many of the same arguments.
The faculty and staff members who oppose the film believe that it would emphasize a misguided narrative that places the burden of resolving systemic inequities on students. They said solutions to the school’s racial divide should be explored through a process of research, not through a media project.
They also expressed concerns about any unintended consequences that may result from the film in the lives of those who may agree to participate.
And then there’s the much deeper, age-old complication of a film directed by a white man in which blacks will be the central subjects.
“When I hear a white person say, ‘We want to do something about the achievement gap’ […] I hear those words and you can watch certain people’s faces and know the image they have in their head, and I think that’s been a concern for our students and for our community in a documentary about the achievement gap,” said board member Jackie Moore, expressing her initial reservations about the documentary.
“I would hate to have this be known as a documentary about the achievement gap [when] issues are so much more complex than achievement,” Moore said. “We’re talking about economics, we’re talking about equity, we’re talking about race.”
Part of the administration’s hesitation may stem from the controversy surrounding the recent Black Lives Matter assembly, which took place in February. The event reportedly excluded non-black students, provoking debate and some outrage waged mostly on Internet sites and social media platforms.
“To me, this film is no different than an article coming out about something happening in the school or even at a board meeting — good intentions for informing. However, articles are written and captured in quotes and the journalists’ piecing events together,” Isoye said. “Contexts and subtleties will be missed. The closest to the situation will understand the information. Those furthest will draw conclusions based on the piece. This leads to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.”
James took the criticism in stride. He said he “wished to God that I never put [the term ‘achievement gap’] in the proposal,” not realizing at the time how fraught “with such baggage and peril” it was.
He said that he is undergoing a process of self-education on the issue, which includes reading extensively on, and talking to experts in, critical race theory. He and his close collaborator, OPRF film and television teacher John Condne, also attended several public meetings and listened to a range of perspectives before the March board meeting. Condne is also closely affiliated with Kartemquin Films.
“[John and I] have been guilty, coming into this project, of referring to an achievement gap when what we really meant was we wanted to look at this more systemically, because we see and have been educated by some incredible conversations that have gone on with teachers, with individuals across the spectrum — from staff members, outreach workers, various groups we’ve met with over the last month or so,” James said, adding that he doesn’t think exploring the issue through a research lens is “mutually exclusive” from exploring it cinematically.
Board member Sharon Patchak-Layman, who provided the lone vote against the proposal, said she was deeply concerned about authorizing a project over the objections of the administration, whose approval may be necessary to a smooth production process. She also lamented the absence of more student involvement in the preliminary discussions.
Many board members agreed with Moore that the film should not be solely about the so-called “achievement gap” and that the contract language should be changed to reflect this, among other, concerns expressed at the March meeting.
According to the contract between the district and Kartemquin Films, the filmmakers “plan to mostly — but not exclusively — frame the film around a year in the life of the school.”
Potential subjects would include an “administrator focused on programmatic changes to bridge the gap,” a “guidance counselor or outreach coordinator charged with providing hands-on help to low achieving students” and a “teacher and student of color in the honors track,” among others, the contract notes.
In the end, several board members, such as Jeff Weissglass and Steve Gevinson, said their votes of approval were based on their faith in James, particularly after viewing his movies, which include the documentaries Hoop Dreams, The Interrupters and Life Itself.
“For me, it comes down to trusting the filmmaker,” said Gevinson, adding that “if anyone can do justice [to the problem’s complexities] it’s Steve.”
CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com
