Huntsville City Schools (Madison, Brantley, Sanford: middle-class, credit, house)

[hsvkr]

I hope you will take a few minutes to read the following article from The Wall Street Journal. A Democrat from South Carolina, state Sen. Robert Ford, is pushing for “school choice”. According to Sen. Ford the “only way to receive a decent education is thru school choice”. Mr. Ford “advocates tax credits and scholarships that parents can spend on public or private schools.” According to Sen. Ford, “We have to try something different". And it seems folks are agreeing with Sen. Ford “In March, a Pulse Opinion Research poll of 1,000 black voters in the state reported that 53% agreed that school choice would improve public education”.
I hope, for the sake of the city of Huntsville, that progressive thinking such as school choice is something that is on the minds of our local leaders. Our great city of Huntsville is the beacon of the south. While many cities around the state, the southeast, and even the country are experiencing tough times; our wonderful city is still shining. I have always been proud of our city because we continually strive for excellent in all that we do. The question for the next 5-10 years is: Will our public school system be a hindrance to the progress of our city?
I, like many parents in the city of Huntsville (especially those in areas outside of Hampton Cove and South Huntsville), have decided to stand with Sen. Ford. We have come to the realization, just like Sen. Ford has, that “the only way to receive a decent education is thru school choice”. Unlike Sen. Ford however we have no hope of “tax credits and scholarships”. We, while bearing the burden to fund our local public system, must also fund our own “school choice” at private institutions. What is our motivation to incur this extra expense? It’s the same as Sen. Ford has come to realize: “we have to try something different”.
I hope for the sake of the ~20,000 students that have to attend the Huntsville City School System that our local leaders are progressively thinking of ways to allow them to enjoy the benefits of “school choice”.
One final thought: as the school system goes; so goes the growth of the city!!! What will the future growth of Huntsville look like? You need to only look to your school system for that answer.

By BRENDAN MINITER
Getting arrested doesn't normally bolster a politician's credibility. But when South Carolina state Sen. Robert Ford told me recently that he saw the inside of a jail cell 73 times, he did so to make a point. As a youth, Mr. Ford cut his political teeth in tumultuous 1960s civil-rights protests.
Today this black Democrat says the new civil-rights struggle is about the quality of instruction in public schools, and that to receive a decent education African-Americans need school choice. He wants the president's help. "We need choice like Obama has. He can send his kids to any school he wants."
Mr. Ford was once like many Democrats on education -- a reliable vote against reforms that would upend the system. But over the past three and a half years he's studied how school choice works and he's now advocating tax credits and scholarships that parents can spend on public or private schools.
He's not alone. Three other prominent black Democrats in South Carolina have publicly challenged party orthodoxy. In 2006 State Rep. Harold Mitchell Jr. crossed party lines to endorse Republican Karen Floyd for state education superintendent. "We have to try something different," he told me at the time. That same year, Curtis Brantley defeated a state representative in a primary fought over education reform. And last year, Ennis Bryant ran (unsuccessfully) against an anti-school-choice state representative in a primary.
These men are the most visible part of a movement joining black Democrats and political conservatives in a common cause. In recent years, school-choice candidates (black and white) have taken the seats of more than half a dozen antichoice legislators, and there have been two mass rallies for school choice at the state capitol that included black leaders.
Charter and private schools geared toward impoverished black children also are cropping up, and no wonder. There are about 700,000 students in public schools in South Carolina, more than a third of whom -- 247,000 -- are in schools considered to be failing based on test scores. Nearly 60% of the kids in these failing schools -- about 146,000 -- are African-American. Blacks make up about 39% of public-school students.
In March, a Pulse Opinion Research poll of 1,000 black voters in the state reported that 53% agreed that school choice would improve public education (28% disagreed). Support for school-choice legislation increased to 61% when Mr. Ford's name was attached to it.
Two years ago, legislation that would have created education tax credits failed in the House by a handful of votes and could pass today with the support of just a few more members. Meanwhile, Mr. Ford estimates that he is now just two votes shy in the state Senate of passing legislation that would create scholarships for poor children, and education tax credits for all parents, that would be equal to half of what the state spends per-student in each district. When Mr. Ford announced his bill in March, he held a press conference in the capitol that forced work on the House floor to come to a standstill as lawmakers made their way out to hear him thunder, "I don't give a damn about the money. I'm doing this for the kids."
The danger for Democrats still opposed to school choice is that Mr. Ford represents widespread frustration among black voters who see Mr. Obama in the White House and now expect real change to occur in their communities. Black voters could come to support conservative education policies (if not GOP candidates).
Typically, school-choice fights involve Republicans and a handful of Democrats pushing vouchers for a limited number of poor kids in inner cities. That's fine as far as it goes. But, as is evident in Washington, D.C., it doesn't go far. With just a few thousand families receiving vouchers, congressional Democrats are confident that they can kill the school-choice program in D.C. without provoking a voter backlash.
In South Carolina, however, the tax credits on the table would go to middle-class and poor parents alike and would align the interests of the vast majority of voters with those of poor families. If such tax credits take root, they will create a coalition between black Democrats and Republicans and be nearly impossible to trim back, let alone repeal.
That coalition is already starting to form. Mr. Ford is finding a ready ally in Republican Gov. Mark Sanford, who has spent the past six years pushing for school choice. The governor has already enacted charter-school legislation, created choice at the prekindergarten level, and has twice pushed for tax credits. School choice is a top goal of his in his final two years in office.
South Carolina doesn't have powerful education unions that can derail reforms, so Democrats are scrambling for alternatives. Jim Rex, the state school superintendent, is pushing to give parents more choices within the public system -- such as magnet schools and single-gender programs. He has also revamped the state's standardized tests. But Democrats are late to the game and parents are growing impatient for progress.
"[Mr.] Obama knows the right thing to do," Mr. Ford told me, noting that just a few words from the president praising education tax credits would likely swing the state senators he needs to pass his legislation. But will the president do it?
Mr. Miniter is an assistant features editor at The Wall Street Journal.

[friday13]

Originally Posted by hsvkr

. Mr. Ford “advocates tax credits and scholarships that parents can spend on public or private schools.”

For the public school system, I'd say abolish the desegregation order first, and see how that goes. Let the kids go to whatever school they want - within a district I suppose- This is a less "expensive" alternative to "tax credits and scholarships" for whomever the said money is coming from (federal, state). But they both have the same outcome: it will allow for a even greater gap between "good" and "bad" schools (ok, poor choice of words, but I'm making a point), as people we'll flee towards the good schools.


Of course, I currently live in a "bad school" zone in Hsv, planning to leave for Madison ASAP, that's why I'm all for desegregation order being lifted out.
With the other option, you will never be given enough tax benefits to cover all the cost of education (although I do not see how that applies to public schools, supposedly free). To be more specific: Would and how a tax break/scholarship help my kids living in Hsv go to an public elementary school in Madison city, or even a better one in Hsv? Isn't public school free? Then, what the tax credit for?

[hsvkr]

Why we as a city don't demand for that to happen I don't know? Maybe it has to do with the fact that half of the schools are nearly/or all black and half of the schools are nearly/or all white!! BUT WE ARE STILL UNDER A FEDERAL DESEG. ORDER. I can tell you from experience the Department of Justice wants systems to get out from under these orders. It comes down to the leaders of the systems putting forth the effort. I think you can see that the leaders of the Huntsville want to keep everything status quo!!!

[Charles]

We got an email from our second grader's teacher (Huntsville City Schools, Hampton Cove Elementary) asking us our views on the Obama speech tomorrow (below is the text of the email):

"What are your opinions about the students watching the Obama speech tomorrow? Dr. McGhee [HCES principle] said it was up to each classroom to decide if we want to show it. I am sort of interested in seeing it myself. I am actually very laid back about politics and see advantages and disadvantages of each party. I was brought up to respect the leaders of our country no matter how we feel about that person. After reading Facebook, I see many people have very strong opinions and some parents are not sending their child to school if their teacher is showing the speech. Like, I said, I am very open and do not believe in pushing politics at all. Second graders usually just voice what they have heard their parents saying so please tell me what you think. We have plenty to do in class to keep us busy so if anyone is offended by the "thought" of us watching the speech, feel free to let me know, as I certainly don't want anyone offended!! Will second graders remember this for years to come? Will they get anything out of this? What are your thoughts?"

I replied it was OK with us. I read the speech and you can read here, Media Resources Prepared School Remarks and other than the last sentence, it seemed politically neutral and nothing to be afraid of ("some parents are not sending their child to school if their teacher is showing the speech").

[deesonic]

I really don't understand all the hubbub about Obama speaking to school children. Reagan and Bush I both "spoke" to my generation in schools. I also remember senators and members of congress (federal, state, Dem, and GOP) coming to talk to our schools as well. The far right have determined to undermine the Obama administration at every turn and place the dreaded "S" tag on him for everything he does. It's getting quite ridiculous really. It's really disgusting to me that partisanship has gotten so bad that we question whether our own elected president should even be allowed to address our school children. For those who disagree, exercise your right as a parent to keep your kids at home if you must. God forbid your children might actually hear another opinion other than yours for a change.

And I'm all for the abolition of desegregation orders, but what are we gonna do when the entire Huntsville city high school population demands to attend Grissom?

[mm42]

I think learning to respect and understand our system of government and the President (whoever he is) is a lot more important than the politics of the day.

[tammie2]

Even though I still only have the blackberry, I had to weigh in on this one

For school choice I am a huge proponent. I have seen what schools can do when choice is involved. My children attended a charter school in TX, they received less than half of the funding of any public school in the area($3K/student/year). The parents were REQUIRED to be involved-and we all were. In addition to the lack of student funding, capital improvement funds were not available.
TBC....the blackberry said

[tammie2]

My family donated a new oven year one(when the PTO had to decide between depleating the future playground fund or living without) and year two we donated the much needed playground-it had to be done, the $1K a year they were getting in fund raisers wasn't going to cut it.

That was the BEST school I have ever seen. My daughter learned most of what she is currently learning in third grade at HCE during kinder and 1st at the charter school! Can you imagine what they could have done with more funding?

TBC....

[tammie2]

School choice isn't about good school vs bad school, school choice is about chosing the right environment for your child just as much as it is about test scores. My children went to a very unstructured, hands on, jump around, touch everything, get dirty, ask and learn how to answer every question you can think of, have class outside on a nice day type of school. That doesn't work for all children, some need structure, some have apptitudes in certain subjects and weaknesses in others...TBC

[tammie2]

Bottomline is that school choice is about the individual and not "the masses"

To address friday and the "free" issue, no school is truly free. We all pay property taxes at a local level and income tax at a state and federal level. As far as I'm concerned, they can keep the "free" education and let me keep my $(that I will pay before and after I have school aged children) and allow me to educate my children wherever I chose(but that opens an entirely different can of worms).