JohnButts@JBMedia - Reports:
Curtis Everette Gatewood
DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE SCHOOL VOUCHER TRICK.
The community should be thankful for the coming together of organizations, attorneys, such as those who represent the NC NAACP and the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE). Atty. Jessica Holmes, for example, is great at serving as both a legal mind and reason why public education is important, in addition to why the NC vouchers for private schools initiative (State Education Assistance Authority - SEAA) is full of holes, smoke, and mirrors. Consequently, the recent court injunction to stop this particular vouchers program in its tracks was a major victory for the people who love justice. We must come together as a community and make sure SEAA is exposed and abolished altogether.
First of all, this is not about whether you think churches should be able to control and offer private Christian schools. This is not about whether you grew up thinking certain segregated schools were okay or certain charter schools seem to be doing a better job than certain poorly funded and poorly performing public schools. Furthermore, SEAA was not truly designed to save poor struggling children of color. Don't be fooled!
1. If you truly want to have an impact on the education of poor and economically deprived children, don't rob the already underfunded public schools of nearly 12 million dollars to give a limited pool of children a voucher worth $4,200. Not only would this be bad, but the voucher would not cover the cost of tuition for 62% of the private schools in NC. Where is a struggling child suppose to get the money for the portion of the tuition his/her voucher did not cover?
2. If you want to make sure poor children reap the benefit of educational dollars, you should already know you will find them disproportionately flooding and overflowing the enrollment within schools which are fully FREE and open to all children - Public Schools!
3. This is why it makes sense that in as far back as 1868 the North Carolina Constitution states taxpayers dollars must be designated for the establishment and "exclusive" use of free and public education. The lawsuits being filed to stop the voucher program can for the most part stand on the premise "exclusive" means "exclusive."
4. Therefore, if you would like to send your child to a private school where they currently have no legal obligation to follow the same guidelines in hiring, certification, curriculum, diversity, transportation, free/affordable lunch, special needs accommodations as public schools - that is your 'choice'. If you would like for your child to go to a Christian-based or some other religiously focused school which may violate the religious or nonreligious beliefs of certain other children/parents - that is your 'choice'. But the Governor or Legislature must not be allowed to violate the constitution and further strategically deplete funding from and destroy public schools by robbing an already robbed, crippled, and struggling public school system of another near 12 million dollars to fund private schools.
Yes, public schools today are in many ways failing poor children and children of color. Yes, public schools policies and curriculums have too often been unfair. Yes, public schools today are in many ways less effective today than some of the segregated schools in Black communities during the 1950s and 1960s. But, with that said, do not let the wolves throw the baby out with the bath water!
Get the metaphorically clean 'bath water' in our public schools by providing the funding needed to bring the schools in low income communities up to higher and fair standards; Supply those schools with certified/qualified teachers who love/respect the child and their families/cultures and understand what is at stake; Stop out of school suspensions unless a person's life has been put at risk, but even then, make sure all children are receiving the needed psychological and counseling assistance; The main difference for the betterment during the 60s was not the segregation, but the fact the 'whole village' worked together in raising us. The teachers/educators also saw themselves as part of the larger village (they knew our families).
There is no way around it, public schools (where most of our precious children will end up) must be supported and protected - not violated and neglected. Robbing Peter/Public to pay Paul/Private is in no way the solution!
Whether it is the 60s Jim Crow, Sr. or 2000s Jim Crow, Jr. Esquire, we've been there done that; got the tshirt and the hat, we say no to Jim Crow and we are not going back!
The community should be thankful for the coming together of organizations, attorneys, such as those who represent the NC NAACP and the North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE). Atty. Jessica Holmes, for example, is great at serving as both a legal mind and reason why public education is important, in addition to why the NC vouchers for private schools initiative (State Education Assistance Authority - SEAA) is full of holes, smoke, and mirrors. Consequently, the recent court injunction to stop this particular vouchers program in its tracks was a major victory for the people who love justice. We must come together as a community and make sure SEAA is exposed and abolished altogether.
First of all, this is not about whether you think churches should be able to control and offer private Christian schools. This is not about whether you grew up thinking certain segregated schools were okay or certain charter schools seem to be doing a better job than certain poorly funded and poorly performing public schools. Furthermore, SEAA was not truly designed to save poor struggling children of color. Don't be fooled!
1. If you truly want to have an impact on the education of poor and economically deprived children, don't rob the already underfunded public schools of nearly 12 million dollars to give a limited pool of children a voucher worth $4,200. Not only would this be bad, but the voucher would not cover the cost of tuition for 62% of the private schools in NC. Where is a struggling child suppose to get the money for the portion of the tuition his/her voucher did not cover?
2. If you want to make sure poor children reap the benefit of educational dollars, you should already know you will find them disproportionately flooding and overflowing the enrollment within schools which are fully FREE and open to all children - Public Schools!
3. This is why it makes sense that in as far back as 1868 the North Carolina Constitution states taxpayers dollars must be designated for the establishment and "exclusive" use of free and public education. The lawsuits being filed to stop the voucher program can for the most part stand on the premise "exclusive" means "exclusive."
4. Therefore, if you would like to send your child to a private school where they currently have no legal obligation to follow the same guidelines in hiring, certification, curriculum, diversity, transportation, free/affordable lunch, special needs accommodations as public schools - that is your 'choice'. If you would like for your child to go to a Christian-based or some other religiously focused school which may violate the religious or nonreligious beliefs of certain other children/parents - that is your 'choice'. But the Governor or Legislature must not be allowed to violate the constitution and further strategically deplete funding from and destroy public schools by robbing an already robbed, crippled, and struggling public school system of another near 12 million dollars to fund private schools.
Yes, public schools today are in many ways failing poor children and children of color. Yes, public schools policies and curriculums have too often been unfair. Yes, public schools today are in many ways less effective today than some of the segregated schools in Black communities during the 1950s and 1960s. But, with that said, do not let the wolves throw the baby out with the bath water!
Get the metaphorically clean 'bath water' in our public schools by providing the funding needed to bring the schools in low income communities up to higher and fair standards; Supply those schools with certified/qualified teachers who love/respect the child and their families/cultures and understand what is at stake; Stop out of school suspensions unless a person's life has been put at risk, but even then, make sure all children are receiving the needed psychological and counseling assistance; The main difference for the betterment during the 60s was not the segregation, but the fact the 'whole village' worked together in raising us. The teachers/educators also saw themselves as part of the larger village (they knew our families).
There is no way around it, public schools (where most of our precious children will end up) must be supported and protected - not violated and neglected. Robbing Peter/Public to pay Paul/Private is in no way the solution!
Whether it is the 60s Jim Crow, Sr. or 2000s Jim Crow, Jr. Esquire, we've been there done that; got the tshirt and the hat, we say no to Jim Crow and we are not going back!
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