The major problem we're dealing with at this time is the abysmal school system. Our claim to fame is being the first school district to lose accreditation in the last 40 years. If I'm not mistaken, the last time a district's accreditation was revoked was due to their refusal to integrate. I would venture to say that the current crisis has been brought on as a backlash to the discriminatory nature of education back then. The swing in political power from white to black has led to the inundation of black politicians who thought that they could be just like the white politicians - powerful and corrupt. Well, they did manage that part. However, they forgot about one small detail - they still have to govern. That is, actually run things and fill the position for which they've been elected.
There are layers and layers of intrigue involved here. It's quite entertaining. You couldn't write a script with this many twists and turns.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I like to browse the local blog and occasionally through in my 2 cents. Here's the latest - my suggestions for the school district. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek, but also half serious.
1 comment:
(I haven't mastered the blog thing yet - so here is the other post):
Bust it up and start all over.
Seriously, we need out-of-the-box thinking and a darned near far-fetched approach to completely overhaul this mess.
Divide the CCPS into several smaller districts. Eliminate about two thirds of the administration and create community-based clusters of schools under local control or even private control.
I'd even go one step further - give each "mini-district" to one of the "outside influences" and let them compete for the clientele. If your philosophy is so great, compete. If MACE's support for discipline and classroom teachers' rights resonates with you, let your child(ren) go there. If you're more about the "curricula de jour" - go with the district that caters to administrators.
Why not even have a district that is run by a private company, such as Edison or KIPP?
The bottom line is that government does not do much of anything very well. And yet we entrust our future generations to their ineptitude. We're the bosses (we voters) and we should demand better.
I believe that Clayton County Public Schools are ripe for a great experiment. At this point, it couldn't get any worse. It's time to wrest the purse strings from the "but that's the way it's always been" crowd and try something innovative, different and daring. What have we got to lose? We need to demand that the incoming board, whoever they may be, hire a truly visionary superintendent with the gonads to create REAL CHANGE.
(News flash: It ain't Thompson.)
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