re: St. George organizers submit petition with signatures

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"no chance at a decent education."

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Because they live in the ghetto in terrible situations. If they go to their neighborhood school, they are SCREWED. Getting on that bus is what saves them. I want them to continue to be able to get on that bus if that's what they want.

Reluctantly, I have come to the realization (me of all people) that neighborhood schools aren't the answer in 2014. Only PART of the answer. A three-tiered approach of:

1. neighborhood schools with gifted programs,
2.magnet schools for the exceptional students
3. dead-end schools for those who destroy school environments is the answer.

St. George-IMHO- will only replicate the EBRPSS. It will build more schools which are marginally better if we are lucky. It will not remove the worst Gardere kids from sitting next to your kids. It will not allow the best Gardere kids to thrive at magnet schools, but rather destroy the good EBRP schools that give disadvantaged kids a way out.

Look man, I came to this conclusion the hard way. I had to rethink a lot of my earlier ideas about neighborhood schools. This wasn't easy for me. I'm very concerned about what this does to the entire REGION long term if we abandon the good kids to their shitty neighborhoods. Their parents don't have the resources or the inclination to get them out. It's not just about good kids like yours and mine who have the resources to move if we have to.