Former NBA Star Kevin Johnson Seeks to Give Young People Hope

Some pro athletes don't know what to do when they retire. That was not the case with former NBA star Kevin Johnson, who said on the Oprah Winfrey Show that he knew he wanted to do other things in life than play basketball. Before retiring from the Phoenix Suns in 2000, the former point guard won the right to convert Sacramento (California) High School into a charter school, run by his faith-based St. Hope Corporation. The school had been plagued by plummeting test scores, student apathy, and a deteriorating campus. At the six separate schools on the 10-acre campus, a curriculum has been designed to meet student needs.

Johnson, a three time NBA All Star, raised more than $7 million from big-name donors, such as Bill Gates. It may be too soon to give firm results, but enrollment has again started to rise and was up to 1,650 students, with a waiting list of 100 more, as of the writing of an article in People Magazine, December 15, 2003. An excerpt from the article was on the St. Hope website, www.sthope.com. Johnson said he, his grandfather, his mother, and his father, all went to Sacramento High School, and it was worth fighting to keep and improve. He said enrollment has risen because the bar was raised for academics.

In 2005 Kevin Johnson and his St. Hope Foundation began renovating several blocks in Oak Park, the former star's old neighborhood. They helped fix homes, drive out drug dealers, and encouraging Starbucks and other stores to move into the neighborhood. Still, while many welcomed the changes to the neighborhood, not everybody did. Members of the Sacramento City Teachers Association and about 40 parents tried to block the moves, with some objecting to the fact that St. Hope was faith-based. Marcie Launey, president of the Teachers Association said her group sees Johnson as a philanthropist, not an educator.

"The fight we fought was worth fighting," says Johnson on the foundation website, of the school where only 20 percent of students read at grade school level. "Now there's a waiting list, and it's all because we raised the bar."

Others admired Kevin Johnson's dedication, with Tracy Stigler, the school's operations director, admiring his "extraordinary vision." He said after Johnson shared his vision, he wanted to be a part of it.

The former NBA star was always a leader, even as a little leaguer. He always encouraged his team, even after a loss. His role model was his grandfather, who once gave him two dollars to give to a mother who had been robbed in a housing project.

Kevin Johnson, who broke the school scoring record in college at the University of California at Berkley, while earning a B.A. in Political Science, founded St. Hope in his second year in the NBA. He was traded in his second season from Cleveland to Phoenix, and he founded the charity to create after school programs.

While there may not be a huge amount of test results to show the progress of the charter school, many agree there have been results.

In an article in the Sacramento Bee, which was excerpted and put into the St. Hope website, Shana Brye told about the progress of her son. She had taken him out of Elk Grove School, where his teacher had said he could not learn, and put him in St. Hope's Public School, #7. She said she has seen a big turnaround in his academic progress.

Charter schools in California must, most of the time accept all applicants. The schools are indeed public, but they do not face most of the regulations other schools do. Many believe they force public schools to compete for students. The charter schools are accountable to a district, county, or state board, and they must get the results they have promised. If they don't, they can be shut down.

The school, some believe, shows the success of the schools founded by Kevin Johnson's foundation. The students at the schools, mostly African American, often come from families whose parents are poor and work long hours. Parents sign a pledge they will read to their children at night and volunteer 40 hours a year at the school. As a result, the school had a 99-point leap in Academic Index scores.

The school currently has only grades Kindergarten through sixth grade, although administrators hope to add seventh and eight grades in the next couple of years. The administrators want to prepare students for Sacramento High School.

Some criticize the school for being segregated and say the school has the type of parents who would help their children become successful in any school. They also say the charter schools are drawing good students away from the public schools.

School administrators say they try to attract all types of students from different nationalities. They point out that though the parents of children in St. Hope schools are very involved, they were not really that successful themselves in school.

A variety of parents point to the fact their children did not have any interest in school, before going to the schools founded by Kevin Johnson's foundation. They say many children are now thinking of college at a young age.

Many students in Kevin Johnson's school system learn about volunteering and becoming community leaders. Jimmy Haynie became involved in the Hood Corp, which is governed by five tenets: practical theology (which involves going to community churches); simple living; being humble; physical training (which involved completing a marathon); personal development (which involves focusing on college preparation); and civic leadership, which focuses on group projects.

Some of the projects for the students and former students involved cleaning up the neighborhood, overseeing an art gallery, and, as recent high school graduates themselves, working with other high school students, including getting them ready for college, through an apprenticeship program. Haynie plans to attend Arizona State University. Haynie became involved in many of the projects while he was a senior at the charter school.

Kevin Johnson made his mark on the basketball world. He was a three time NBA All Star and played on a United States team that won a gold medal at the World Championships. He scored 17.9 points a game for his career and is one of only four players in NBA history to average 20 points and 10 assists a game in three different seasons. Some people might say his greatest accomplishment, however, has been in helping people.