Yup! Keep building those schools
on April 29th, 2009 at 11:25 amIn short, this video captures what happens when voters who do not take the time to inform themselves on ballot initiatives. Schools are being built at a ridiculous rate in Los Angeles. Only problem–many of them are not needed. Check out these drop out rates from last year~
“Here are the latest numbers released by the California Department of Education: One in every four students statewide fails to finish high school. In the Los Angeles area, one in every three students drops out.”
The drop out rate in LAUSD varies with students’ race and ethnicity: 40% of African Americans, 35.4% of Latinos, 20.1% of whites, and 13.4% of Asians will drop out before completing high school.
[...]
But even these high numbers were disputed by Mayor Villaraigosa who claimed the actual numbers are higher. Even with the lower estimates the actual numbers are daunting: Every year nearly 120,000 more students drop out of school before graduating. The social costs in terms of less income, more unemployment, more crime, and less taxes paid to the state are staggering, one estimate is at $46 billion dollars.
The actual rate of drop outs in the Los Angeles area high schools, according to Rutten, are much higher: Jefferson (58%), Belmont (56%), Locke (50.9%), Crenshaw (50%), Roosevelt (49.6%), Fremont (46%) and Jordan (43.7%). The students who drop out shouldn’t be the only ones considered failures.
Mayor Villaraigosa, who has attempted to take control of some schools, disputed the state figures. He said the figures did not take into account students who drop out before ninth grade, making these figures closer to 60 or 70 percent. (more…)
So it is interesting to me to hear people complain about how charter schools and school vouchers are taking away money from the system.
If the system is using eminent domain to take away the homes of low income families to build buildings that are not even needed, I say sap the system for better alternatives for these kids.
As I said some time ago, states that are getting this stimulus money are going to find something to do with it. Even if they really do not need it.
This whole thing is one big resume stuffer for Obama and all other politicians who pushed for this.
“Built new schools?”
Check
Next question: “Were they needed?”
Next question.
