Earlier this week I heard that Kansa City is planning to close about half of its schools. Apparently, due to increasing budget problems and lower enrollment, the majority feel this is the best solution. As an impartial observer who does not live in Kansas City or have children in any public school system, I can see the logic in the decision. If they don't have to maintain as many facilities or pay as many teachers and maintenance staff, they should be able to help the schools that will remain open.
Of course, a lot of people are unhappy. Their children will have to change to schools that are further away. They may no longer be in the same schools as their friends. Bus drivers will have to change routes and add new ones as more students start taking busses to school. And no one wants to be the ones to lose their jobs.
It seems like schools all over the country are in trouble. As people leave an area due to foreclosures and loss of employment, the population goes down and the high school dropout rate goes up. Marshaling the remaining resources to provide a decent primary education for the students who remain is absolutely essential. Better that they should have to travel further for safe buildings and well-equipped facilities. I know that in an ideal world compromise wouldn't be necessary. As I have said before, we do not live in an ideal world. Welcome to reality.
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"... the population goes down and the high school dropout rate goes up ...."
ReplyDeleteI hadn't known that the dropout rate was rising. Can you point me at statistics?
Simple explanation:
ReplyDelete1.Most people do not want to pay higher taxes
2.Many and perhaps most people do not want to see services cut
3.Our legislators are too chicken to tell us that our governments (at least the state and local ones) cannot indefinitely spend more tha they take in, because they think, with reason, that this will hurt them at election time.
4.Perhaps we get what we deserve?
I do not have any current statistics on the dropout rate. For one thing, the most recent statistics have not been published yet. There are two factors which make me think that the dropout rate in areas that have been hardest hit by the 2008 meltdown has gone up.
ReplyDelete1. One of the factors that high school dropouts have cited in the past for their decision is the need to earn money. As parents become unemployed, more children may feel this way. Also, going to school is expensive. How much are books, school bus fees, and other assorted goodies?
2. With the high foreclosure rate, families are moving. Sadly, some are even becoming homeless. Kids will have to adjust to new schools, and may find it too difficult. There may also be problems with not having fixed addresses.