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SackAttack · 12-06-2014, 10:05 AM

Say, Dutch. I don't suppose that maybe part of why schools fail has to do with resource allocation; they're often funded by property taxes, and wealthier enclaves pay more tax. That tax, in turn, provides better funding for the local schools, which in turn pays for better teachers, more classrooms, computers, and other necessaries.

I wonder whether schools in predominantly black areas have similar property values to their analogues in predominantly white areas. I wonder if they have the resources available to provide a comparable quality of education to that which white students in other areas receive.

I wonder whether citizens of wealthier parts of Missouri (or other states) might be willing to pay higher state income taxes in order to provide a baseline of funding for schools in poorer areas so they can be "fixed."

I wonder whether wealthier citizens are more likely to spend money on their local schools' fundraisers, or more likely to have significant dollars to contribute to candy bar sales, book sales, 50/50 raffles, or anything else.

Hint: I don't actually wonder those things. That is how things actually work. Ferguson's ability to "fix its schools" is almost entirely dependent on factors it does not control.

Now, to be sure, "Fixing the schools" is a fantastic way to provide better opportunities for underprivileged children. Actually DOING SO has all kinds of moving parts involved, and even if none of them involve active racism, many of them still involve racial roadblocks. It turns out, see, that while "separate but equal" was anything but, the same effect can be achieved without the state actively mandating it - all that's required is for the wealthy to move away from the poor. You don't need deadlines to keep minorities out of richer white neighborhoods. You just need to exercise social mobility to remove yourself from "that element."

You want some ways to fix the schools? Here's a few suggestions:

1) have property tax collected by the state and have the state then distribute those dollars equitably among the various counties. Yes, that means you'll see the "blue state/red state" phenomenon on a micro scale, where wealthier districts are subsidizing poorer districts.

2) Require any teacher who wants to teach in the state to first spend some period of time - five years, say - teaching in "at-risk" districts before they can transfer to another district. That's not going to stop the best teachers from fleeing to the wealthier schools, but it will at least expose at-risk children to them.

3) Require the same for tenure. If you haven't at some point previously spent a certain amount of time teaching in low-income areas, the amount of time it takes to qualify for tenure is longer by the pro-rated equivalent period. If it normally takes 5 years, and the requirement is 3 years teaching in a low-income area, but you've only put in 1 year? You need 7 to qualify for tenure. Waive that requirement for teachers in low-income areas.

4) Tie at least some portion of eligibility for pay increases to time spent teaching in an "at-risk" district. There are a variety of ways you could do that. You could have things on a sliding scale where your eligibility for a particular increase above COLA was based on that service time. 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7+ years, say. You might check off every other box on the list for your pay raise, but if you haven't also spent time in an at-risk district, you don't get more than basic COLA.

5) Have the state assign student attendance so that you get a racial and economic mix in each school. And, yes, the student has to live within the district boundaries. No busing the rich white kids in from the suburbs.

#5 is radical enough that you will never see it happen in this country. #3/4 probably have some collective bargaining ramifications. #2 could be accomplished by any given state's legislature. #1 is probably the "easiest" of the bunch, but would a) be denounced by a certain element as punishing whites so that blacks can have handouts and b) probably has little chance of happening in a "red" state. Too socialist!

Poverty's kind of a pernicious sonofabitch, isn't it? When the schools suck, it's tough for the kids to get the education they need to lift themselves out of poverty, and if they somehow manage to accomplish that, they're probably not going back home to raise the standard of living for their community. The jobs aren't there because the education base isn't there.

12-06-2014, 10:05 AM	#1737
SackAttack Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Green Bay, WI	Say, Dutch. I don't suppose that maybe part of why schools fail has to do with resource allocation; they're often funded by property taxes, and wealthier enclaves pay more tax. That tax, in turn, provides better funding for the local schools, which in turn pays for better teachers, more classrooms, computers, and other necessaries. I wonder whether schools in predominantly black areas have similar property values to their analogues in predominantly white areas. I wonder if they have the resources available to provide a comparable quality of education to that which white students in other areas receive. I wonder whether citizens of wealthier parts of Missouri (or other states) might be willing to pay higher state income taxes in order to provide a baseline of funding for schools in poorer areas so they can be "fixed." I wonder whether wealthier citizens are more likely to spend money on their local schools' fundraisers, or more likely to have significant dollars to contribute to candy bar sales, book sales, 50/50 raffles, or anything else. Hint: I don't actually wonder those things. That is how things actually work. Ferguson's ability to "fix its schools" is almost entirely dependent on factors it does not control. Now, to be sure, "Fixing the schools" is a fantastic way to provide better opportunities for underprivileged children. Actually DOING SO has all kinds of moving parts involved, and even if none of them involve active racism, many of them still involve racial roadblocks. It turns out, see, that while "separate but equal" was anything but, the same effect can be achieved without the state actively mandating it - all that's required is for the wealthy to move away from the poor. You don't need deadlines to keep minorities out of richer white neighborhoods. You just need to exercise social mobility to remove yourself from "that element." You want some ways to fix the schools? Here's a few suggestions: 1) have property tax collected by the state and have the state then distribute those dollars equitably among the various counties. Yes, that means you'll see the "blue state/red state" phenomenon on a micro scale, where wealthier districts are subsidizing poorer districts. 2) Require any teacher who wants to teach in the state to first spend some period of time - five years, say - teaching in "at-risk" districts before they can transfer to another district. That's not going to stop the best teachers from fleeing to the wealthier schools, but it will at least expose at-risk children to them. 3) Require the same for tenure. If you haven't at some point previously spent a certain amount of time teaching in low-income areas, the amount of time it takes to qualify for tenure is longer by the pro-rated equivalent period. If it normally takes 5 years, and the requirement is 3 years teaching in a low-income area, but you've only put in 1 year? You need 7 to qualify for tenure. Waive that requirement for teachers in low-income areas. 4) Tie at least some portion of eligibility for pay increases to time spent teaching in an "at-risk" district. There are a variety of ways you could do that. You could have things on a sliding scale where your eligibility for a particular increase above COLA was based on that service time. 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7+ years, say. You might check off every other box on the list for your pay raise, but if you haven't also spent time in an at-risk district, you don't get more than basic COLA. 5) Have the state assign student attendance so that you get a racial and economic mix in each school. And, yes, the student has to live within the district boundaries. No busing the rich white kids in from the suburbs. #5 is radical enough that you will never see it happen in this country. #3/4 probably have some collective bargaining ramifications. #2 could be accomplished by any given state's legislature. #1 is probably the "easiest" of the bunch, but would a) be denounced by a certain element as punishing whites so that blacks can have handouts and b) probably has little chance of happening in a "red" state. Too socialist! Poverty's kind of a pernicious sonofabitch, isn't it? When the schools suck, it's tough for the kids to get the education they need to lift themselves out of poverty, and if they somehow manage to accomplish that, they're probably not going back home to raise the standard of living for their community. The jobs aren't there because the education base isn't there.