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It really came down to busing for racial diversity. Once that was made illegal, they changed the name to socioeconomic diversity, which is the same thing under a legal name. One side of the equation believes achieving the proper mix of skin tone in schools is the most important things the school district can do. The other side of the equation believes achieving the best education possible is the most important thing the school district can do. I would not say all liberals and all conservatives fall into one category or the other. There is a lot of contradiction in what someone claims they want for everyone else, but then don't want that same thing for their own kids.
Admittedly that was unfair of me to paint it so starkly.
Just so this newb Carpetbagging Yankee has it right.
In terms of NC politics, do I have this right?
The Conservative position is to break up big districts
The Liberal position is to honor/defend county based districts?
Do I have that right? If I do, how does that jive with CHCCS, which I’ve been told is “one of the most liberal places in the country” (which still makes me laugh to this day)
You keep blaming size but refuse to admit that money is the issue, where COVID is concerned.
WCPSS: My kids are in B transition, yours are in VA, correct. The new "plan" of bringing k-5 full time brings new issues. First, overcrowded buses. On a good day WCPSS does not enough buses or drivers. In the classroom 4th and 5th grades are not subject to the class size mandate so they have over 20 kids in a class. Typically at our school 24 in 4th and 26+ in 6th. This year there are 21 in 4th. There is no way to social distance with those numbers in one room. These classes could be divided in half and use classes left empty by VA enrollment but then we need more teachers and guess what, WCPSS does not have the money. Where I moved from the land of $15,000+ per year in taxes, classes are smaller. So a full time return to school meant 12 kids in a class once the kids who opted for remote were out. Some of these schools have the ability to stream classes to those in remote. Not here, no additional money for technology.
The reason the district does not want to role out plan B is money. When they divide 21 students in to 3 separate groups, they need a teacher to cover in person and one to cover the kids who are in remote. How is the assigned teacher going to split themselves in half? It is going to be a juggling act for which they need more staff or the technology to stream a live lesson to those in remote. That would require not just technology but training.
BTW, I am not sure it is a conservative position to break up the district, but locally it can viewed as a selfish one. It is generally well to do families who want small schools filled with highly motivated kids. They are very concerned that their little ones get the best of everything and are poised for their college applications but have little regard for those would be negatively impacted by breaking up the district. They also don't see the benefits of diversity in schools.
Sometimes, this is not intentional, people are ill informed. They only know from the system they grew up in. That's why it's important to know history and to look at the big picture not just how decisions impact your little corner of the County. Once again one of the biggest handicaps this district is facing is lack of adequate funding from the GA. They have been pawning their responsibility off to Counties while passing unfunded mandates for schools to comply with. You want to revolutionize WCPSS, vote for a new GA.
BTW, I am not sure it is a conservative position to break up the district, but locally it can viewed as a selfish one. It is generally well to do families who want small schools filled with highly motivated kids. The are very concerned that their little ones get the best of everything and are poised for thier college applications but have little regard for those would be negatively impacted by breaking up the district.
I guess I'm selfish. I want the best for my kids and want them to go to college if that's what they want to do. I'd like for everyone to have the same views, but that's not something I or the government can fix.
This is very true. Look at Massachusetts which is one of the bluest of the blue, and they're very happy with their mostly segregated town-based school systems.
This is where you sorta lose me man. Obviously Boston’s history with busing is a moment worthy of scorn forever. But you’re overlooking a key factor.
Schools should represent their communities; at whatever scale.
But when you have towns that are 98% white your schools will be too, if they are town schools. You were North Shore/ Metro West so I can’t speak to any of that first hand, but 95 corridor/South Shore is overwhelmingly White outside of Brockton and New Bedford Fall River, and there is nothing “keeping” it that way, systemically.
This is where you sorta lose me man. Obviously Boston’s history with busing is a moment worthy of scorn forever. But you’re overlooking a key factor.
Schools should represent their communities; at whatever scale.
But when you have towns that are 98% white your schools will be too, if they are town schools. You were North Shore/ Metro West so I can’t speak to any of that first hand, but 95 corridor/South Shore is overwhelmingly White outside of Brockton and New Bedford Fall River, and there is nothing “keeping” it that way, systemically.
Do schools in MA *have* to be town based? I know counties aren't as prevalent, but they do exist. Why not switch to county based schools where the school system will be much more diverse? Take any rich town and within 2 towns over you'll have a town that's not rich.
I guess I'm selfish. I want the best for my kids and want them to go to college if that's what they want to do. I'd like for everyone to have the same views, but that's not something I or the government can fix.
Oh please! Are your kids in WCPSS now, are they not going to college? Will being in a county district stop that? BTW even Chapel Hill completes their school assignments to promote equity and diversity, so even small districts here care about this issue. You are right schools in the NE are some of the most segregated in the country. IMHO, that is not a good thing. People have to "buy" their way into a good district via their house.
Do I have that right? If I do, how does that jive with CHCCS, which I’ve been told is “one of the most liberal places in the country” (which still makes me laugh to this day)
I addressed that in my second post on page one of this discussion. Merging the CHCCS and OPS has been brought up several times and liberal richer CHCCS would like to do that, but taxpayers in the less liberal OPS district don't want to. Usually when mergers break down it's the other way around and the wealthy districts don't want to water down their success with the poor students. Rural Orange County (say north of Hillsborough) is more conservative and Chapel Hill is indeed very liberal, though, not quite as liberal as Durham (you can easily verify this with election results and compare to anywhere in Mass or CA and see how it breaks down — I don't know).
This is very true. Look at Massachusetts which is one of the bluest of the blue, and they're very happy with their mostly segregated town-based school systems.
Are they all? I really don't know. Are the less well to do families happy to?
Are they all? I really don't know. Are the less well to do families happy to?
I'm not sure to be honest - I think they're likely happy to go to school near their home. Boston inner city youth have the option of applying to METCO which buses students out to the well-to-do suburbs. I think it's a lottery system, but I'm not sure how many actually apply either.
If you think that busing kids around will just magically make all schools equal and keep them equal, then I don't know what to tell you. Parents that value education will always move to areas with schools that they think are the best fit for their child. Ever notice that people moving here often post on here asking where the good schools are? There's nothing wrong with that - that doesn't make them bad people.
Last edited by m378; 09-25-2020 at 09:12 PM..
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