The Color Of Money And Public Education
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools: A government agency whose avowed purpose is to provide an education to all children, no matter their circumstance. It is with such lofty purposes every government venture begins. The results are in and have been for decades. They have been in since the 1950s and 1960s, long before the decline associated with the desegregation efforts of the late 60s and early 70s.
Public education is now about government jobs, perpetuation of bureaucracy and taxpayer-funded retirement programs. It is about spending on construction for the politically connected and paying interest with taxpayer money to the money-changers. It is about providing daycare services. It is not about education.
Every new school administration brings promises of new programs to improve this or that stated parameter – test scores they are called. They need to go up, some gap needs to be closed, something important will happen. Programs are established and remain, accomplishing little other than padding payroll. Administrators have come, gone and retired with handsome benefits. But government jobs remain and are very well paid, as taxpayers go wanting. Vacation time continues, three months in the summer, two weeks at Christmas (Winter Break I believe they call it), Thanksgiving, Easter (Spring Break), etc., while education has become a daycare service.
How do we know it is about daycare? Because the major punishment is not providing daycare – suspensions are the punishment. Great. For a child who needs education, we suspend him. Who does that punish? His parents, who now have to worry about where he is during the day and whether he’s being fed. If he’s at school, the taxpayers house and feed him.
Years ago my youngest daughter, now 17, and I argued about education. I asked her: Do you get in more trouble for not doing your homework or being tardy? Being tardy is the answer. Years ago a private school on the southeast side of Charlotte asked about having school speed zones put in. The bureaucrats of Charlotte responded: That’s a private school, ‘they don’t deserve them’.
The law of the state of North Carolina specifies how districts are to provide funds to charter schools, yet local charter schools have had to spend thousands on lawsuits in the attempt to have CMS follow the law.
School bonds are touted because they are about the children. When I was involved with Citizen’s For Effective Government, in some ways a precursor to today’s Tea Parties, we often opposed bonds as wasteful. Over this I was once accosted by Mr. John Tate, Jr., of the local school board at one time, and the state school board later, who said to me: “Why do you hate children?” His was not and is not a singular attitude. Becky Carney’s spouse once said something similar: I can’t recall his name.
There is a loosely associated group of people who have much in common with the school system administration. They are the economic and political powers of Charlotte and Mecklenburg. Their concern is not about education; it is about appearances and making the right people happy. They don’t care if children are educated; they care about keeping the masses quiet.
Thus, until this year, they found common bond with the Vilma Leakes and George Dunlaps of the political establishment, who by keeping the votes going their way, were supported in their political efforts. Just look at Vilma Leake’s record. It is common knowledge that she didn’t live in her district when on the school board. Yet the Board of Elections, a majority being good Democrats, averted their eyes in order to allow her the seat. One can only wonder why.
Today, after years of treating taxpayers like a rich uncle in a candy store, government has come close to the end of its rope. Because of this the school board voted to close some schools to spend less. The vote was clear. The vote reinforced everything referred to above. The vote was about power politics. The NAACP wants to make the vote about race. It was not, except by association. It was a vote about money. It is always about money.
Former school board chairman Arthur Griffin made his reputation and political life trying to relate downtown actions concerning money to race. For years, while Vilma Leake and George Dunlap were on the school board they made decisions based on race. But Butler, Providence and Myers Park were not affected. That is because so long as the racial decisions did not affect the monied interests, they were allowed to go forward.
Today the NAACP is ranting about a new racial segregation. That is ridiculous. It will be impossible for CMS to do anything so blatant with the demographics of the student population. But watch. They will take care of the parents of the students in Butler, Providence and Myers Park and do what they can to keep the rest of them quiet. The votes will be instructive. Who votes which way?
You can expect Rhonda Lennon, Kaye McGarry, Joe White (call me coach), Tim Morgan and Eric Davis to follow Gorman’s direction. This is the way of downtown and those who aren’t concerned about education but public appearances. The others? Some of them actually believe in education. Some of them know what it takes to educate children. It’s not administration or buildings; it’s attitude.
CMS has not cared about education for all the students for years. They care about only some. So why would you think the vote to cut spending will be about anything but what they have focused on for years? It’s not race. It’s about the money for the well connected.
Nothing new here folks, let’s move along.
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