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The spreading GOP destruction of public education

Discussion in 'Too Hot for Swamp Gas' started by citygator, May 23, 2023.

  1. citygator

    citygator VIP Member

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    The US is the wealthiest and nearly highest level of productivity despite the high costs. Place isn’t perfect but you can’t argue that our system is terrible. Our health outcomes don’t come from bad healthcare bud, it’s bad health choices outside of healthcare.
     
  2. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Yep. I disagree with the republicans doing that. Should be income based.

    And Limbaugh has never influenced a single opinion for me lol.
     
  3. swampbabe

    swampbabe GC Hall of Fame

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    The property taxes a typical family pays does not cover the cost of their kids education, especially if they have more than one kid in school. The idea that you're just taking "your money" to educate your child privately is ridiculous.
     
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  4. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    A lie? What lie? It isnt "Focused on the poor". It does however include poor kids, which is what I said
     
  5. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Perhaps because it doesnt take much to outperform some failed schools in poorer districts?
     
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  6. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Who is "their"? Many of us that support choice also support public education.

    One can do both.
     
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  7. mrhansduck

    mrhansduck GC Hall of Fame

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    I'd be receptive to more private-public competition in education if it were designed to be a truly a level playing field on which we could compare apples and apples and evaluate different approaches while ensuring some basic fairness in that competition.

    Same admission standards. Same teacher qualifications. Same testing standards on students, if any. No legacy benefits for connected kids. Same access for special needs and disabled students. Same rules respecting separation of church and state principles.

    If it's about setting up laboratories of innovation to identify the best and most efficient practices in education, I really think I could get on board. But it would have to be fair, and we'd have to have objective criteria to measure results.

    I'm not sure if any counties or states have this, but if not, there may be models we could examine in other countries. It's not like we're the only country that has to worry about educating kids.
     
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  8. citygator

    citygator VIP Member

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    Here is your description. By your logic a tax break on a yacht is available to everyone including the poor so we can call it tax breaks awarded to poor families and their children. And the way its worded is to suggest that IS the focus of the program to people unfamiliar with it. Pandering.
    IMG_0104.jpeg
     
  9. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    I said "government run schools" . Not "government schools". Its a notable distinction.

    It would seem with all the panic from the left about Florida and the "government schools" there, that liberals would be begging for money to take their kids out of DeSantis' schools. ;)
     
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  10. citygator

    citygator VIP Member

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    Sure… but more importantly why do you have a picture that doesn’t render in your signature?
     
  11. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Yachts? Seriously?
    Look City, a lot of people used my same exact points for health care. The ACA isnt just for the poor or even low income. Isnt it like 75% of all families that qualify or something like that? It isnt just the "poor".

    But if we take away the entire thing the poor would pay the biggest price. The same is true here.

    Frankly I dont see how one can support the ACA and not vouchers, and vice versa.

    Both are all in or all out in my opinion.

    I think you need the ACA for a majority of the people but especially for the poor.

    Cooper literally opposed an act that could have helped poor kids get out of bad schools.

    Its why I say there needs to be common sense.

    96% is too high.
    0% is too low.

    But the guy touting 0% doesnt get a victory lap in my opinion.
     
  12. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Um. The dems in Florida are the ones screaming about government indoctrination in public schools from a fascist governor and you are telling me I am the one thats making claims?

    Any knowledge of my positions tells you that I have no side when it comes to indoctrination in schools. I think any controlling interest/party will try its best to indoctrinate. Not just the left.

    I don't want a maga teacher corrupting my kids any more than I want a ultra leftist.

    But if you think that part of why government wants to keep as many kids in PS as possible is just for your kids well being than you are the one living in a twilight zone.

    They care about their own self serving narcissistic agenda. Red, Blue, Right, Left... etc etc.
     
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  13. jjgator55

    jjgator55 VIP Member

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    Perhaps not, but if the voucher school is unwilling to toe the line then it’s just speculation. If a school has truly failed, and has proven to have failed then they need to be shut down, but what makes a failing school?
    *Inadequate funding.
    *Lack of respect shown to teachers by students and parents.
    *A high turnover rate of teachers of over 25%.
    *A lack of technology.
    *An emphasis on teaching to the test.
    *A common core curriculum holding all students to the same testing standards regardless of their disabilities.

    If you look hard you might find some positives on test scores from voucher schools, but I doubt any difference would be negligible.
     
  14. jjgator55

    jjgator55 VIP Member

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    No one is opposed to school choice, but to make a fair comparison between public and voucher schools all factors need to be equal. Even then you can’t blame the schools. The blame needs to be placed on the politicians who set schools up for failure like DeSantis is in Florida.
     
  15. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    We probably agree mostly on what you wrote. The reason schools in some areas fail is because of funding. But its because the government failed that school.

    Beautiful new high tech schools pop up all over suburbia while dilapidated high crime schools can sit neglected.

    THOSE parents need options. Many middle/lower middle class parents want options so that their kids have better options for college.

    There should be some standardizing in my opinion for a private school to qualify.

    We can accomplish a robust choice system. One that has great public schools, great private options, help for home schooling parents who are choosing to be one income etc. America has done a lot of amazing things because we were determined to do it. A diverse, robust and affordable education system doesnt have to be all or nothing.

    We can do this.
     
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  16. homer

    homer GC Hall of Fame

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    If only all the public schools were as good as yours. Lol

    Both of mine attended public schools and received a good education. Still, I support allowing vouchers for those that choose to go elsewhere.

    Call schools what you want it changes nothing.

    In Florida lots of underprivileged kids, mostly AAs in crappy schools use vouchers. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. I taught fire/life safety at adult education centers, daycares, and occasionally elementary education. I used to inspect daycares in areas that were all black. I met and befriended lots of the teachers and directors that ran the programs. I spent a lot of time in the projects trying to make them a safer place to live. I’ve sat and spoken with local teachers and parents that got involved with their schools and kids, trying to make them a better and safer place to live and learn. Sadly many of the kids had parents that didn’t seem to care about their kids education. You want to meet real heroes? Go into a bad neighborhood and watch how those I mentioned struggle but don’t give up no matter how difficult and frustrating it is. I can’t tell you how many kids they carried though school and how many they fed from their own pockets even though they had a basic income.

    I know a little about what vouchers have done for many poor kids from personal experience. My personal experience trumps anything you or anyone else has to say about them.

    Just an fyi how I got involved. I was a patrolman with Tampa PD in 1977-78. In 1978 I transferred to Tampa fire where became a fire inspector/investigator. 22.5 years of my career with TFD were as a fire investigator. I also performed some inspections and volunteered my time teaching adult and elementary education along with assisting local community directors. That’s where I met the people I described. I also taught at the police and fire academy. For a short period of time I worked as a fire inspector in “new project construction”. During that time I was given the plans for the remodel of the projects throughout Tampa. I red flagged the remodel when it didn’t meet the code for a secondary means of egress requirement in the upstairs bedrooms where most fires occurred. I was given the plans back and told to approve them which I refused to do. I was threatened with disciplinary action. I refused and told my supervisor and higher ups I would call the Sentinel (black Tampa paper) and local TV reporters and expose them. These were predominately black occupied structures. I forced the city to abandon their plans. Most were knocked down and rebuilt as needed. I consider that my greatest accomplishment in my police/firefighter career.

    In 1990 I decided to volunteer my time to the Hillsborough SO as a regular reserve deputy. I gave them about 3 years of free policing. During that time I volunteered to assist battered women who ended up at “The Spring” center for women. During that 3 year period I received from sheriff Heinrich a life saving award and 2 written commendations. I resigned from the HSO reserve when both my kids played competitive sports, to attend their games, many travel ball.

    I have a ton of experience working in the projects. Often I read or hear people’s opinion on race relations and racial issues that just aren’t correct. School choice is part of it.
     
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  17. homer

    homer GC Hall of Fame

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    It’s not if done at the proper grade level.
     
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  18. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    Ironically Roy Cooper gets his jock handed to him by Ron DeSantis when it comes to education ranks.

    Thats true in almost every poll and every age level.
     
  19. l_boy

    l_boy 5500

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    So FL education is better than NC education (I assume that is what you are saying) because of Ron Desantis?
     
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  20. tilly

    tilly Superhero Mod. Fast witted. Bulletproof posts. Moderator VIP Member

    You may be surprised to know I agree with most of this.

    My point about school choice has existed long before "woke" became a thing.