Post in A "Dark View" of the $60M School Referendum Proposal

May 16 21:28 UTC

I must admit that many of the dollars going for programs like Tony Scallon's
Charter School or V.O.A's school are dollars well spent. They are some of that
"re-organized" I spoke of. That being said I believe the Minneapolis Public
School system is a failure. How can we call anything a success that
producesshoddy products at the rate MPS does?

I believe I have written about my background before on this List. Attending the
second lowest state funded schools in the nation does give some perspective.
Only being able to attend about half time at grade school and not going to high
school also gives perspective. Growing up in an economic poverty that is
unheard of in Minnesota(unless you are one of the new immigrants from south of
the border) additionallygives some perspective.

A group of us who had grown up on those sharecropper farms meet a few years ago
down in Mississippi. Most had dropped outby the eighth grade, but we all shared
similar grade school experience. I had gone through the ninth grade, which was
the further than anyone else had gone in public or any other school. As we
discussed bittersweet memories it became apparent that every member of the
group had finished a minimum of a bachelors degree and a couple of us had gone
on to professional schools.

The few of our group of outlaws who were not presenthad died in Viet Nam or the
"Tucker Farm" Arkansas State prison. As we laughingly discussed where we had
been and what had happened it became clear that every person there felt that
the basis of his education had come from NCOs in the Military. Each felt those
NCOs had “taught them to learn”. Each also felt that they had a better basic
education in reading and simple math than those with high school educations
from more affluent backgrounds who competed with them in those military
classes. Those poor under funded schools had given them the basics that those
NCOs were able to work with to teach them “how to learn” and how to apply that
learning to real world problems.

I have tutored several young people who having graduated from Minneapolis High
Schools could not do the basic math necessary to do the lowest level of college
work. These were not dumb children from true poverty; they were predominately
people of color however. An example is now a Minneapolis Police officer who
will soon receive a Master’s Degree. I very well remember teaching him how
fractions and decimal multiplying and dividing worked when he began college.
Something that I learned in those “poor unfounded schools” when I was in the
third or fourth grade.

So clearly the answer to the problem is NOT the money we throw at it. It is a
systemic problem! The Minneapolis Public School system simply fails in its
obligation to give students from poor families and less than desirable social
worlds the basic education they need to succeed in life. It is also a problem
for society because rather than becoming assets to our community they often
become the opposite – costing us far more in the long run than if we had sent
them away to the best private schools.

How do we solve this social problem? FIRST we must admit it is a problem. Then
we can look for solutions. Like hiring all those old retired NCOs to retrain
those of our children who our highly educated teachers have failed. Like
absolutely insisting that ALL children have those basics regardless of how bad
their parenting has been. In fact especially those children!

Of course I am must admit that I see 90% of school as nothing more than
warehousing children. So even if those sweet little kids from nurturing
families are ahead of the game to start there is NO reason they cannot be
caught up. Of course that requires that we insist on a system where discipline
of teachers and students is required.

Some of these opinions I must admit comes from a bias due to my own life
experiences and the experience of taking three sons through the Minneapolis
School system. Something for which I apologize, but I can assure them and you
that I would NEVER do the same with my grandchildren.

Unless Minneapolis changes!

Minneapolis needs to pay some folks like Tony Scallon and the Charter School
folks, the V.O.A. folks, and perhaps those who run the U.S. Military “A”
schools to consult on how to improve Minneapolis schools. Until that happens I
am in favor of not increasing funding but in reducing costs such as the
salaries of every school administrator and especially those ridiculous salaries
we pay the top administrators. Some might say those administrators would not
stay and we would have to hire others. My answer is GOOD! We certainly could
not waste our money on worse.

Jim Graham,
Ventura Village

- “The City that scorns excellence in community infrastructure as a humble
activity and tolerates shoddiness in political philosophy because it is an
exalted activity will have neither good sewers nor good public policy: its
political policies will hold more crap than its pipes.” -