I have a solution that nobody will like. It’s warranted and would address the very neediest, but good luck convincing anybody…
Start paying reparations in the form of schools. The idea that how good a public school is is based on where your parents/guardians live is one of the biggest examples of institutional racism I can think of (beside mass incarceration, maybe).
What other public services work this way? Can you imagine if people moved to ensure their post office was the very best rated post office in the area!
Fuck charters… fuck moving to Chadds Ford… I think the people in Chadds Ford should subsidize the Chester Upland schools. How do you like that?
Look, I don’t ever comment on these education posts because I don’t have children and it doesn’t directly impact me. But the idea that people cry “property values” is disgusting and racist… Listen to the two part This American Life from last month (The Problem We All Live With)..
I say this as a middle-aged white guy of relatively considerable means.
You’ll be nibbling around the edges forever wondering how to fix all this when the answer is there. It’s just too bitter to gulp down the gullet. Part of the reparations package should be a reallocation of public funds to low-income black neighbourhoods. I’d start by taking money from Hockessin, Monchanin and Middletown and building brand new, state-of-the art public schools (not charter, not private, not wait-list)… public schools in the most forgotten neighbourhoods. Maybe to start I’d build one in Hilltop and name it after Jim Gilliam. James Gilliam Middle School has a nice ring to it.
And if people tried the old white flight routine again I hit them with a Reparations transfer tax on the property sale. We all live in this fucking country. We should start taking some god damn responsibility.
The real problem is people see a problem but if you’re rich enough it’s other people’s problem and if your black and poor you’re totally fucked anyway. We need to make it a rich person’s problem. How long are we going to victimise people until we just admit what we’ve done and correct it?
Wow. I 100% agree with this comment. Right now, the system rewards more affluent people. It separates, deliberately, the most influential voices in our communities – and that is done, in part, under threat. Districts tell this more affluent group, “Don’t make waves or we’ll send you to those struggling city schools.” Don’t believe me? Then check out what Red Clay said during their last capital referendum in order to build another brand new suburban elementary school:
1. What happens if it [referendum] doesn’t pass? Adjust feeder patterns at elementary schools, reconsider BSS K-8, remove programs at city schools (Pre-K, Parent Centers, Boost Up, Small Class Size).
Obviously, that wasn’t grave enough so they changed that answer to this:
We would need to consider a number of options. • Readjusting feeder patterns in most of our elementary schools to shift the population to our schools in the city. This would be disruptive to all of our schools, and impact important programs in place at our city schools. • Reconsider the BSS K-8 model. • Continue to rent trailers, and add additional trailers
[emphasis mine, but really, Red Clay’s SuperPac, Friends of Red Clay, as well! And we’ll wait and discuss these school district’s SuperPacs in another post)
As of this morning it reads:
The district will be forced to consider other options to address over-crowding at elementary schools, such as adjusting feeder patterns at elementary schools, reconsidering BSS as a K-8 school, removing programs at city schools (Pre-K, Parent Centers, Boost Up, and Small Class Size)
Forced? Really? And there it is. Shut up or we’ll take away everything we’ve given to you. Don’t vote for the referendum and we’ll bus your kids back to those awful city schools – that we purposefully created, btw. None of what’s going on could have happened without buying suburban and charter/magnet school citizens’ votes… and silence. And when you read the above “threats” you can not only understand why the suburban community voted for the referendum, but that some did so under duress. Red Clay wasn’t subtle. They threatened this community’s children. I completely understand why the suburban community voted the way they did. I just ask that this community stop kidding themselves that they are in the driver’s seat. They aren’t. They surrendered their power years ago. Not sure how they get that power back. Basically, they sold themselves cheap, and if they think what’s going on with Priority Schools, Focus Schools and charters isn’t heading their way they are naive. They’ll be all for it until their kids don’t get into the choice school they applied for. Then they’re outraged, but they already diluted their voice.
Look, I get that every parent’s priority is to their own children and that everyone works within the existing system – which is designed to pit parent against parent and community against community. I understand that the suburban community is concerned with their property values. What I don’t understand is why high poverty/high needs people’s concerns – people who live in high poverty feeder patterns across the state – about their children attending schools that have lost valuable programs as well as their property concerns are dismissed as not valid. Seriously, why are people who live in affluent areas more deserving of a good education? Why am I constantly asked to care about their worries? To understand where they are coming from, while they (not all!) don’t care about kids in high poverty schools or these people’s property values?
Back to Dorian’s comment… If his comment upsets you ask yourself why. Is it because he’s wrong? Or is it because you’re personally invested in the status quo? BTW, saying you only care about your kid and your property values is fine. Just own it.
Wow. I 100% agree with this comment. Right now, the system rewards more affluent people. It separates, deliberately, the most influential voices in our communities – and that is done, in part, under threat. Districts tell this more affluent group, “Don’t make waves or we’ll send you to those struggling city schools.” Don’t believe me? Then check out what Red Clay said during their last capital referendum in order to build another brand new suburban elementary school:
Forced? Really? And there it is. Shut up or we’ll take away everything we’ve given to you. Don’t vote for the referendum and we’ll bus your kids back to those awful city schools – that we purposefully created, btw. None of what’s going on could have happened without buying suburban and charter/magnet school citizens’ votes… and silence. And when you read the above “threats” you can not only understand why the suburban community voted for the referendum, but that some did so under duress. Red Clay wasn’t subtle. They threatened this community’s children. I completely understand why the suburban community voted the way they did. I just ask that this community stop kidding themselves that they are in the driver’s seat. They aren’t. They surrendered their power years ago. Not sure how they get that power back. Basically, they sold themselves cheap, and if they think what’s going on with Priority Schools, Focus Schools and charters isn’t heading their way they are naive. They’ll be all for it until their kids don’t get into the choice school they applied for. Then they’re outraged, but they already diluted their voice.
Look, I get that every parent’s priority is to their own children and that everyone works within the existing system – which is designed to pit parent against parent and community against community. I understand that the suburban community is concerned with their property values. What I don’t understand is why high poverty/high needs people’s concerns – people who live in high poverty feeder patterns across the state – about their children attending schools that have lost valuable programs as well as their property concerns are dismissed as not valid. Seriously, why are people who live in affluent areas more deserving of a good education? Why am I constantly asked to care about their worries? To understand where they are coming from, while they (not all!) don’t care about kids in high poverty schools or these people’s property values?
Back to Dorian’s comment… If his comment upsets you ask yourself why. Is it because he’s wrong? Or is it because you’re personally invested in the status quo? BTW, saying you only care about your kid and your property values is fine. Just own it.