60% graduation rate and property taxes (Jacksonville: crime, home, employment)

[Magnolia Bloom]

Duval public schools had a 60% graduation rate last year. It frightens me to think what property tax cuts will do to education funding and crime*.

And a sadly funny thing-
The tagline for Duval schools is Dreams Begin Here.... too many one-liners come to mind every time I hear that.

*four murders here yesterday....want to place odds on how many killed and those doing the killing graduated from school?

[Stonewall17]

Originally Posted by HIF

Duval public schools had a 60% graduation rate last year. It frightens me to think what property tax cuts will do to education funding and crime*.

And a sadly funny thing-
The tagline for Duval schools is Dreams Begin Here.... too many one-liners come to mind every time I hear that.

*four murders here yesterday....want to place odds on how many killed and those doing the killing graduated from school?

I suppose it is always easy to draw a correlation between property taxes and education funding and therefore graduation rates and crime. While I agree that schools should be adequately funded and teachers better paid, there is a whole range of other factors in our system that are causing the accelerated crime rate, particularly juvenile crimes.

Have you been to a parents/teachers meeting in Duval county recently? How many fathers do you see there? My point is that you can't draw a straight line between higher taxes and education funding to reduced crime. There are just too many other factors and until we are ready and willing to tackle those other factors the killings will continue. Yes, fund the schools but remember that no amount of education funding will produce role models.

[riveree]

The school funding already in place is not distributed fairly - long before any possible funding cuts .

The trend seems to be that the schools that are performing the best get the most $ per student, while the schools that are struggling get the least $ per student.

I think we have all the elements to have a great school system but we have leadership who won't think outside the box and shake things up enough to make a difference. It will happen eventually, but only because the leadership will be forced to do so by the citizens.

[Magnolia Bloom]

Originally Posted by Stonewall17

I suppose it is always easy to draw a correlation between property taxes and education funding and therefore graduation rates and crime. While I agree that schools should be adequately funded and teachers better paid, there is a whole range of other factors in our system that are causing the accelerated crime rate, particularly juvenile crimes.

Have you been to a parents/teachers meeting in Duval county recently? How many fathers do you see there? My point is that you can't draw a straight line between higher taxes and education funding to reduced crime. There are just too many other factors and until we are ready and willing to tackle those other factors the killings will continue. Yes, fund the schools but remember that no amount of education funding will produce role models.

I agree- there are a number of other factors that contribute to crime prevention- positive role models being key. And we need to do what we can to promote greater involvement of fathers (and mothers for that matter) in the lives and education of our children. However, what we can most directly influence is the quality of education that our children receive.

I also agree with Riveree that a change in the way we provide education is needed. And much can be done within exisiting funding levels. But cuts to education funding will only produce a scramble to figure out how to teach to the test while spending less per student.

It's certainly not a one-pronged approach that will provide the answer, but a solid educational foundation- shoot, even the ability to read- will go a long way to addressing many of the ills that our community is facing.


What risks do dropouts face?

Our nation’s dropout rates are particularly alarming, because in today’s society there are few employment opportunities that pay living wages, and benefits are rare for those who have neither completed a high school education nor acquired necessary basic skills. On average, youth who drop out are more likely than others to experience negative outcomes such as unemployment, underemployment, and incarceration. High school dropouts are 72% more likely to be unemployed as compared to high school graduates (U.S. Department of Labor, 2003).

Nearly 80% of individuals in prison do not have a high school diploma (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1995). According to the National Longitudinal Transition Study of special education students, the arrest rates of youth with disabilities who dropped out were significantly higher than those who had graduated (Wagner et al., 1991). Three to five years after dropping out, the cumulative arrest rate for youth with serious emotional disturbance was 73% (Wagner, 1995).

In addition to the costs incurred by individuals who drop out of school, the social costs associated with the incidence of dropout are immense. Students who do not complete school cost taxpayers billions of dollars in lost revenues, welfare, unemployment, and crime prevention and prosecution (Joint Economic Committee, 1991). Students who graduate from high school earn an average of $9,245 more per year than students who do not complete school (Employment Policy Foundation, 2001).

In light of the negative consequences for society and individuals, facilitating school completion for all students must be a priority for educators, administrators, and policymakers across the country.

[riveree]

The Weavers (Wayne Weaver and Delores Weaver, owners of the Jaguars football team) have taken a step in the right direction.

The Weavers are doing something about the situation at Sandalwood High School since it seems no one else will . Sandalwood - which was once a National Model School - has been facing some big challenges in the last few years. The school is so overcrowded, it is no wonder the grades and graduation rates have dropped. When the new Southside high school opens (2010?), the pressure will be alleviated since some of these students will attend the new high school, but in the meantime, the Weavers are taking some action.

Though I have a great distaste for United Way (talk about skimming money off at the top !), they do seem to have a decent program in place to help the students with the social issues that play a factor in their education.

The article talks about how Sandalwood will now have the resources in place to help the students with their possible home life issues and it will expand into the greater community at large to help the entire North East Florida region (through a call center, it sounds like - a referral hotline).

Here's the article:

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-onlin...96647048.shtml

[backtofla]

doing away with property taxes will take less funding away from police protection. not a good thing, especially when many of our bigger cities have a serious crime issue --- miami, tampa, orlando, jax'ville, and ft lauderdale.

it's really a catch-22.

yikes --- 4 murders yesterday in jax'ville? i sort of put my "move to jax" on hold anyhow, and hearing stuff like that makes me think i probably did it for good reason.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by backtofla

doing away with property taxes will take less funding away from police protection. not a good thing, especially when many of our bigger cities have a serious crime issue --- miami, tampa, orlando, jax'ville, and ft lauderdale.

I don't know about the other cities, but luckily, JSO (Jacksonville Sheriff's Office) will not be affected by any funding cuts.

Should the amendment go through, the plan is to redirect money to JSO so there is no budget shortfall for our police. You're right, we can't afford any police cuts and the city realizes that.

[Magnolia Bloom]

Thank God for the Weavers- they do so much for Jacksonville personally through their foundation and through the Jaguars Foundation. They have recently been blasted by the Baptist Convention (Southern? not sure) for donating to Planned Parenthood. PP does not perform abortion and the Weaver Foundation has contributed to a teen education program. I have seen the presentation and it is health-based, they do not even offer birth control advice. Guess that was OT....

But to respond to the "funds shifted to JSO" comment, I guess that will mean that the property tax cuts will have a heavier impact on other areas. The city has already eliminated the neighborhood services division. Eleven of the 13 staff have been reassigned to other areas and two have been housed in another division and will continue to serve neighborhood associations.

I just hope that people really make an informed decision before voting. But the same thing that Riveree said about school funding applies to city services, as well. They can be better spent and the city can be better managed. I'm afraid that if people don't think tax dollars are being wisely appropropriated, they will vote for the cut.

[riveree]

Originally Posted by HIF

Thank God for the Weavers- they do so much for Jacksonville personally through their foundation and through the Jaguars Foundation. They have recently been blasted by the Baptist Convention (Southern? not sure) for donating to Planned Parenthood. PP does not perform abortion and the Weaver Foundation has contributed to a teen education program. I have seen the presentation and it is health-based, they do not even offer birth control advice. Guess that was OT....

But to respond to the "funds shifted to JSO" comment, I guess that will mean that the property tax cuts will have a heavier impact on other areas. The city has already eliminated the neighborhood services division. Eleven of the 13 staff have been reassigned to other areas and two have been housed in another division and will continue to serve neighborhood associations.

I just hope that people really make an informed decision before voting. But the same thing that Riveree said about school funding applies to city services, as well. They can be better spent and the city can be better managed. I'm afraid that if people don't think tax dollars are being wisely appropropriated, they will vote for the cut.

I agree about the Weavers, from what I've seen, their foundations make some sensible choices to benefit the youth of NEFL .

Regarding the funding, the plans are not set in stone yet, but we will probably have a new garbage fee and some other fees to help make up the shortfall. Also, yes, funding is being cut to some programs as well (many of the matching funds the churches get, that kind of thing). The mayor has said that whether it's through new fees or budget redirections, there will be no cuts to JSO. So, we can all breathe a sigh of relief on that one.

[jaxnolefan]

St John's county schools have a 77% graduation rate!! Here is a great sight for people interested in moving to St John's county for the schools....St. Johns County School District - District Facts and Figures 2007