Novice ISD closing high school

[WV Backer]

Interesting observation there, RogueEconomist. Why, one would get the impression you think it's a racial thing or something like that. Hmmm...

 

[Dogface]

Of all people,
Mr. Rogue should understand
than no economy is based upon what the people deserve.
What do kids at Calvert really deserve?
What do kids anywhere "deserve"?

Why aren't there any black dads on the school board?

 

[RogueEconomist]

True, life is not fair. But I do think we need to see that the young get a somewhat fair start in life. What they do with it will reward them or cost them dow the road. But we shouldn't stack the deck against any kid.
The city has a small white majority, 5 board members are from wards, 2 at large. This allows for a 5-2 board split in a town where there is a slight white majority. The school is 95% black. I would also not be for for the blacks when they gain the majority soaking the white minority with taxes. It is true that most are fatherless, but it is not a crime to be born poor and fatherless. I know that the only way to change things, is through education and that takes money. Not seeing that the young get a decent education will create an even larger poor under class which will bring down society in general.

 

[smokeyjoe53]

If things do not soon change, Calvert may have to be added to the watch list. High School Enrollment keeps dropping, 2 years ago ADA= 53, now I hear it is down to the low 30s. Not enough students to field a JH girls BB team, I hear. The last couple of years the school has been wracked by severe financial problems. With funding has fallen from, 906K in 2010 to 588k this year est with a 39 ADA estimate. If the ADA comes in around 30, things will be really bad. All the white flight is killing the school, around 100 students, mostly to Mumford. The white school board only have an interest in giving the school as little funding as possible. No white board members have children attending there. The state needs to intervene and require the residents of Calvert to attend school there. Then the white school board would have an interest in making things better for all Calvert citizens. The kids that attend Calvert are good kids and deserve better than what they are getting.

Yeah right, give the state more power to dictate what's best for the unwashed masses. I believe that's been tried a few times and failed. Remember the Soviet Union?

 

[Old Bearkat]

If things do not soon change, Calvert may have to be added to the watch list. High School Enrollment keeps dropping, 2 years ago ADA= 53, now I hear it is down to the low 30s. Not enough students to field a JH girls BB team, I hear. The last couple of years the school has been wracked by severe financial problems. With funding has fallen from, 906K in 2010 to 588k this year est with a 39 ADA estimate. If the ADA comes in around 30, things will be really bad. All the white flight is killing the school, around 100 students, mostly to Mumford. The white school board only have an interest in giving the school as little funding as possible. No white board members have children attending there. The state needs to intervene and require the residents of Calvert to attend school there. Then the white school board would have an interest in making things better for all Calvert citizens. The kids that attend Calvert are good kids and deserve better than what they are getting.

Yeah right, give the state more power to dictate what's best for the unwashed masses. I believe that's been tried a few times and failed. Remember the Soviet Union?

Or even closer to home, the outstanding success of bussing for racial purposes in the big cities......

 

[Dogface]

True, life is not fair. But I do think we need to see that the young get a somewhat fair start in life. What they do with it will reward them or cost them dow the road. But we shouldn't stack the deck against any kid.
The city has a small white majority, 5 board members are from wards, 2 at large. This allows for a 5-2 board split in a town where there is a slight white majority. The school is 95% black. I would also not be for for the blacks when they gain the majority soaking the white minority with taxes. It is true that most are fatherless, but it is not a crime to be born poor and fatherless. I know that the only way to change things, is through education and that takes money. Not seeing that the young get a decent education will create an even larger poor under class which will bring down society in general.

Seriously?
If life is not "Fair"
then there is no seeing to it that the young get a "Fair" start.
jus sayin'.

 

[freeagent]

You know, the funny thing is I will listen to public school administrators and coaches talk how private schools have the "advantage" of recruiting and choosing their own students. But then, in the next breath, they'll tell how they accept kids from neighboring (usually property-tax poor) districts. As I understand it, there may be a benefit for those property-rich school districts taking in those kids and maximizing whatever state aid that comes to the property-rich district.

Some districts do accept transfers from other public school districts, but require them to pay a fee (I know of at least a couple nearby that do that). But I know a heck of a lot more who have an open door policy to those who they want to accept (and you know who they target most -- private school kids).

I might not be the smartest knife in the drawer, but I know that the kids those districts accept aren't the trouble-makers, outcasts, or problem children. And if they happen to be decent athletes, well, isn't that special? And I have spoken with people who were there when public school coaches told an athlete who wasn't satisfied with his public school and was shopping for a new public school how they didn't need to worry about those pesky residency rules.

Now, I do have a problem IF the issue as being stated in the school we're discussing is that parents are excercising "white flight" from the public school district where they reside to a neighboring public school district where they prefer the racial makeup. But that's an issue that the TEA and local residents need to deal with.

 

[Dogface]

I hope they get everything they deserve.

 

[rainjacktx]

I might not be the smartest knife in the drawer, but I know that the kids those districts accept aren't the trouble-makers, outcasts, or problem children. And if they happen to be decent athletes, well, isn't that special? And I have spoken with people who were there when public school coaches told an athlete who wasn't satisfied with his public school and was shopping for a new public school how they didn't need to worry about those pesky residency rules.

Now, I do have a problem IF the issue as being stated in the school we're discussing is that parents are excercising "white flight" from the public school district where they reside to a neighboring public school district where they prefer the racial makeup. But that's an issue that the TEA and local residents need to deal with.

I could give a lecture on this subject. There are many things that should be done at the school board level in a lot of these small communities.

#1. The school board should be about the education of the children in that district. It should not be about how low to keep the ta rate.

#2 If you don't have a kid going to school, you should be barred from holding a place on the board. Too many examples of board members who spent like drunk sailors when their kids were in school only to turn into misers when after they graduated.

#3 Look forward, not down or backwards. The decisions made today will have a profound affect on the future.

#4 If you have admins at the school who are glad to be rid of 30% of your high school because it will raise the TAKS score - fire him/her immediately.

There are two schools 20 miles apart up here in the panhandle. One follows most of these points, the other seems to be utterly oblivious. One school is growing while the other is rapidly approaching the day when the doors will shut.

 

[RogueEconomist]

Outside of a few oil and wind rich schools in 6 man, most of the small schools are title one, which means the districts are being subsidized by richer districts. I feel that small schools, with small classes offer the best education. Using the logic of "I hope they get everything they deserve" most 6 man schools could not operate on only local revenues, would close.. So most six- man schools should close? I think not.
Many times people think government support of schools is welfare when the other guy gets it, but when they get is, they feel they have it coming. There are many large districts that would like to see us get what we deserve and that would be consolidation into county districts. So everyone who's district has enough money to tell the state to jump off of a cliff raise their hands.