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| Huntsville City Schools March 11, 1963 -March 11, 2015 (Huntsville Times file) |
Black/Brown/Poor students enrolled in Huntsville City Schools were dealt another blow yesterday when a group calling themselves the North Huntsville Collective (aka North Huntsville United for Action) jumped on the Segregation Today, Segregation Tomorrow, Segregation Forever bandwagon and threw them under the bus too.
Despite all the HOPE and PROMISES, the taxpayer funded Political Strategist, and the taxpayer funded lawyers ,are the big winners, at the expense of north Huntsville Parents and students. It seems the district was successful in making it's case that Huntsville be allowed to continue to operate a dual school system. After all, we can't have middle class White's voting with their feet moving to Madison, or enrolling their children in private schools rather than have forced busing (code for integration). After all, black/brown/poor students don't want, or deserve to have access to a quality public education because they are well.....black/brown/poor. If the criminals (code for black/brown/ poor) from north Huntsville are allowed to sit next to white students in the classroom some of their blackness might rub off on them. But I digress.
So, the North Huntsville Collective says the plan is OK and they plan to monitor it persistently, after they said the plan failed north Huntsville Schools. Really? And how do they plan to monitor a plan that can't be monitored? And what makes them believe this administration and this school board are going to listen to them about anything? Heck, they won't even allow black elected officials and community leaders to hold a press conference on the steps of the Merts Center. They won't allow citizens to comment at public meetings without writing down their questions and having them read by a Mime. They no longer televise citizens comments because citizens might actually be informed instead of misinformed. They have teachers and parents afraid to speak out. So good luck with that persistent monitoring thingy.
Wardynski was right, this whole rezoning thing was much ado about nothing, and in my humble opinion, and mine alone, the North Huntsville Collective got played big time, again, and now they are trying to play the students and taxpayers of north Huntsville. Did they bother to ask taxpayers what they thought of the plan and if it was OK with them? Nope. Did they ask they ask the students how they feel about the plan? Nope. They issued a statement without citizens, church members, or membership input/approval. They are no different that the District 1 School Board mis-representative and the media, telling us what they want us to know, instead of what we need to know to make informed decisions. Nope, there will be no profiles in courage award presented to the North Huntsville Collective, or whatever they are calling themselves today..
And who wins in the end? Not the children and taxpayers who reside in north Huntsville that's for sure.
So after months and possibly years of litigation over the rezoning plan, what have we won?
The district will still be under the control of the DoJ except now the plan that the DoJ believed would best bring us unification has been rejected.
The DoJ still controls our destiny. Does fighting their plan (even assuming we’ve seen their plan) bring us closer to unification?
Nope. It doesn’t.
The Wardynski Plan is a fool’s errand. We did not have to file it. And the public has had zero input into the plan.
So, after potentially years of litigation and expense, we will have accomplished absolutely nothing, even if we win.
Nothing except the following:
- Wardynski has shored up support for himself in this town because he’s willing to fight the “evil” federal government.
- Wardynski has improved his name recognition on a national level.
- Wardynski has spent a ton of the district’s money that he should be spending on improving education at all of our schools. And of course,
- We’re still a segregated system.
I know for a fact north Huntsville citizens were HOPEFUL CHANGE we could believe in was on the way. We put our hopes and dreams in the hands of the desegregation judge only to have the hammer dropped on us. I sure do miss the good old days when public education was the HOPE of our republic, and we had instructional leaders who believe every child can learn with the right approach. In the meantime, black/brown/poor parents and students will continue to wait for Superman to leap tall buildings with a single bound and save the day, because they certainly can't depend on their elected officials, pastors and community organizations to do anything but go along to get ahead, I mean, along.
RedEye
19 comments:
If the plans were to your liking would the same failing schools be failing?
When did they start being failing schools. I researched and spoke to many in the community and schools like Butler, Johnson, Ed White, Davis Hills etc were not failing schools until the early to mid 90's. Why did they start failing then? The neighborhoods changed around that time and people started moving to the "country" due to higher crime, neighborhoods going down due to no maintenance of homes etc Houses became cheaper in those neighborhoods,crime starting becoming more rampant in those neighborhoods etc
My point is schools were not failing back then we can trace a million reasons why but a lot ,ay do with the breakdown of the family and crime and violence in those areas. Again all students have free will to do better whether at Grissom, Johnson or Little House on the Prairie School!!!! Until kids become interested in books and not the street life and when moms begin raising their kids and dads start playing a role schools will continue to fail!! This pattern is repeated all across America in neighborhoods like North Huntsville!! Just look at all the money Baltimore city schools get and yet they have a 50% drop out rate! WHY? They wanna live that street life!!!
If the plans "were to my liking" none of the schools would be failing schools. All children would have equal access to a quality education regardless of race, gender, or their parents income.
Schools started failing when Grissom High school was built giving white an additional place to run away from blacks. Those black who could afford to flee did so to the detriment of those who couldn't afford to flee and have no place to run. They are trapped in failing schools, strike that, they are trapped in schools that are being failed by those in positions of power and influence who have the point of view black children either can't or don't want to learn, and don't deserve to have access to an equal education.
The so called breakdown of the family and crime in that area meme is a white, male media dominated driven racial stereotype. There are social problems and crime on both sides of town, but you only hear about one side to drive the narrative that it's citizens get what they deserve, which is nothing. No jobs, no education, no decent housing, no safe community, no chance.
As for the crime, that's a law enforcement problem. Of course open carry, and easy access to guns don't help the problem.
Until and unless the white power structure stops pandering to those who share your point of view black/brown/poor students and parents will continue to be treated like second class citizens.
When I look at the picture at the top of this post, I see children full of HOPE for the future. When you look at the picture, what do you see? Never mind. I know.
You have plenty of young white Americans who are drawn to the "street life," but it isn't treated as a full-blown crisis, nor do people assume that the "street life" is all they want and all they'll ever aspire to.
But people assume that black children, as a whole, are somehow incapable of academic success, whether it be because of the schooling environment, home environment, diet and nutrition, zip code or any number of other potential reasons. Those who do achieve academic success are treated as outliers, individual cases which in no way reflect upon the rest of the group as a norm.
If you see things that way, then why waste resources on a bunch of budding thugs who won't learn anything anyhow? Of course, you're never gonna gin up the courage to openly suggest what really should be done to them (expel them from the schools and let the police pick them up (or pick them off with gunfire) and ship them off to prison en masse).
The next best thing is to funnel the black schoolchildren into one or two failing schools and wait for the academic shoe to drop and then suggest that their academic progress would be bettered by turning those schools into...you guessed it...charter schools.
Personally, I think that's been ol' Casey's goal all along - to get the charter school camel's nose under the tent. As a Broad Foundation guy, the ability to funnel federal education funds into private sector coffers is just too tempting to pass up. Teach for America was the first baby step towards that goal.
Now let's say it was possible to somehow turn ALL of the schools in Huntsville into charter schools. Would that be a possible way of getting out from under the federal deseg order through a convoluted and highly-profitable loophole? It'd be a win-win - the black "thugs" wind up segregated across town, Wardynski and his fellow Broad chaps make bank and Huntsville can finally build those few extra schools needed to boost home and land values, for the developers' sake, of course.
I do not assume anything I stated facts! Why do we have many who graduate every May from the failing schools Butler and Johnson and then we have those that do not or who cam in with that class as a freshman but are no longer in school to graduate. The 2 types of students had the same teachers etc but the ones who graduated wanted to graduate so they did their work,went to school did not hang in the halls, etc etc and they graduated and the others could have to but they chose not too!
Yes many white people are thugs and are drawn to the street life!I will say though that Huntsville and Grissom receive many dollars in scholarships every year so maybe not as many of those kids are living the street life!!
I do not assume anything I stated facts!
You stated assumptions and opinions, which you're treating like facts, albeit your own personal "facts."
Your latest assumption is that the kids going to Butler and Johnson could pull up their bootstraps and succeed, but don't want to because hey, THUG LIFE. *throws up gang signs*
So you're telling me that the vast majority of black kids in that school system are drawn into the THUG LIFE, but only a rare few white kids are? Well, I guess since those white kids are able to live the THUG LIFE vicariously through rap music and safely peel caps online and throw gang signs in their suburban backyards, they don't have to stand on a corner and hustle in real life.
You also assume that the teachers at those schools are of the same quality and capability as those in Grissom and Huntsville. While there are a few dedicated teachers who strive to be the best in any school they land, I suspect you have a greater number of "humps" being dumped at Butler and Johnson than anywhere else.
As long as people who share and pander to Upset Residents point of view are in positions of power and influence black/brown/poor children don't stand a chance. Those who manage to succeed will do it despite HCS, not because of HCS. They have no one.
Honestly, the black community should leave HCS in the dust and build their own network of private schools.
Too bad the city, county or state will likely throw some shade their way, because there's nothing that upsets the unreconstructed good ol' boy more than black progress.
They succeed due to free will! Many that succeed and graduate come from the same neighborhoods as those that do not succeed or graduate! Again go sub for a week at Butler Johnson Grissom and Huntsville High then come back and tell me about your experience!!
I agree Mack then come back in 10 years and see what happens. Baltimore Schools are predominately black and are one of the highest funded schools in the U.S. but yet still have a 50% drop out rate.WHY? FREE WILL!!
What's gained from forced busing? Isn't it patronizing to think that minority students need to sit next to a white student to learn?
Studies on forced busing have shown that it is not effective. There is no evidence that it significantly improved minority students academic performance. But it has been found that forced busing actually worsened race relations in those schools.
Shouldn't the focus be on making sure every school has equal access to resources, not what the racial makeup of the school is?
That's a good idea Mack Lyons. If Huntsville is going to have a dual school system might as well go all the way. I don't know about you, but I'm a product of a segregated school system, and a graduate of an HBCU (Historically Black College and University) so I know it can be done. Unfortunately north Huntsville has elected officials, pastors and community leaders who would rather hold press conferences, pray, have breakfast and banquets and hand out awards, and monitor a train wreck than practice what they preach (pun intended). But this is what happens when the white power structure decides who represents the interest of black/brown/poor citizens.
Isn't it interesting how Upset Resident blames the fact that Baltimore public schools are predominately for their failure, but that's exactly what the Butler/Johson/Davis Hills merger created. A mega predominately black failing school. Still can't believe the DOJ and the Judge went along with that. It's a recipe for disaster. But hey, let's monitor it. Snark
I can name numerous failing cities who have failing schools. Memphis, Baltimore,Detroit,D.C.,Birmingham city,Compton etc etc etc.
There are 2 constants to those cities:
1. Predominately black
2. run by Democrats
They also have a high rate of violent crime!!
Is that a coincidence? I think not!
Who said black students need to sit besides white students to learn Brian? And who say's white students won't learn if they sit next to black schools. Who gains from integration you ask? Everyone. Who loses with segregation? Everyone.
What is the purpose of forced busing? If all schools got equal access to resources, what would be wrong with black-majority schools, white-majority schoolsm hispanic-majority schools, and so on and so on.
The purpose of integration is to ensure that everyone has equal opportunity. Separate is not equal Brian. But as long as those in positions of power and influence pander and share you and your pal Upset Residents point of the view black/brown/poor children will never have equal opportunity and will be waiting on Superman forever. Thanks for making my point.
So busing kids around is the ONLY way to ensure everybody has an equal opportunity?
Integrating the public schools is the only way to ensure everyone has equal access to a quality public education.
I can name numerous failing cities who have failing schools. Memphis, Baltimore,Detroit,D.C.,Birmingham city,Compton etc etc etc.
There are 2 constants to those cities:
1. Predominately black
2. run by Democrats
They also have a high rate of violent crime!!
Is that a coincidence? I think not!
1) Which schools within the system are "failing"?
2) Under what metrics are these schools failing?
3) What are the conditions within the "failing" schools? Do they have adequate supplies, equipment, textbooks, et al.?
4) What's the level of parental involvement in these schools? Does the school receive donations or fees for curriculum-related and extracurricular activities?
5) What's the income level and demographic makeup of the schools' zoned area?
6) Do these students have access to tutoring and other methods of scholastic improvement? Are there any Advanced Placement courses available?
7) Are there any counselling options for schoolchildren identified as "at-risk" or "special needs"?
You should probably answer these questions instead of making blanket statements that only Glenn Beck would love.
I agree Mack then come back in 10 years and see what happens. Baltimore Schools are predominately black and are one of the highest funded schools in the U.S. but yet still have a 50% drop out rate.WHY? FREE WILL!!
So you're saying that black kids are choosing to be thuggish reprobates.
Why?
Why would a black child choose to be a thug? What's in the environment that would lead an ordinary kid to specifically seek that route of their own free will?
I doubt you'll answer that question. You love confirmation bias, but actual deductive thought isn't exactly your strong suit.
What is the purpose of forced busing? If all schools got equal access to resources, what would be wrong with black-majority schools, white-majority schoolsm hispanic-majority schools, and so on and so on.
Jim Crow states honored the "separate" part of "separate but equal," but never the "equal" part. Segregated black schools often got little funding in comparison to their white counterparts. Outdated textbooks, dilapidated buildings, scant funding beyond the bare minimum needed, etc.
So if the states weren't willing to fully fund and support black schools, then black kids would simply go to the schools with the white kids, where they could finally enjoy equal education opportunities.
The immediate response to that was white flight to the suburban and exurban outskirts, where whites could simply physically and financially segregate themselves from the blacks. The tax base needed to keep those schools adequately funded fled with them, leaving the schools blacks arrived in to slowly deteriorate over time.
Others responded with "segregation academies," where whites could simply pay for the pleasure of having their children educated in a Negro-free environment.
Sticking black kids next to white kids isn't some magic trick to make black kids smarter. It's so black kids won't have to go to ramshackle schools and learn from old textbooks dating back to 1989.
"Sticking black kids next to white kids isn't some magic trick to make black kids smarter. It's so black kids won't have to go to ramshackle schools and learn from old textbooks dating back to 1989." Thank you very much. As you can see this point of view is who they are, and who and what they represent. The question is, is this who/what they will always be?
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