Another One (School System) Bites The Dust

"You don't need fancy highbrow traditions or money to really learn. You just need people with the desire to better themselves." ~ Adam Cooper and Bill Collage

This is where Federal integration policies get you. From an AP article I found in the Washington Times (Because the Times article was the first one I found doing a Google search for an article I read in our local Fredericksburg paper, not because the Times is any more Conservative than any other paper):

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Kansas City appeared headed for a recovery when a federal judge in 1985 declared the district was unconstitutionally segregated. To boost test scores, integrate the schools and repair decrepit classrooms, the state was ordered to spend about $2 billion to address the problems.

The district went on a buying spree that included a six-lane indoor track and a mock court complete with a judge's chamber and jury deliberation room. But student achievement remained low, and the anticipated flood of students from the suburbs turned out to be more like a trickle. Court supervision of the desegregation case ended in 2003.

And to this day, the district continues to lose students. In the late 1960s enrollment peaked at 75,000, dropped to 35,000 a decade ago and now sits at just under 18,000.

(Note from yours truly: This, in a city with a population of over 400,000)

Only about half of Kansas City's elementary school students and about 40 percent of middle and high school students now attend the city's public schools. Many of the other students have left for publicly funded charter schools, private and parochial schools and the suburbs.

(Another side note: This article fails to point out that many other KC students dropped out of school, and are now earning their living as crack and meth dealers on the corners of intersections throughout the city's expansive ghetto. I lived there for many years. I know.)

Fewer students means the district gets less money from the state.

At the height of spending in 1991-92, Kansas City invested more than $11,700 per student, more than double that year's national average of $5,001, according to U.S. Census figures. Today, the district spends an average of $15,158 on each student, compared to a national average of $9,666 in 2006-07, the latest figures available.

Pay attention, Liberals.

The district was headed for recovery when the Federal Government got involved, and decided the school system wasn't integrated enough, so, in typical Liberal fashion, they threw money at the perceived problem, with the usual results.

My father used to say, "If it works, don't fix it."

It seems the Federal Government wasn't listening.

As a past Kansas City area resident, I remember a few years ago when the Kansas City School system lost it's accreditation due to low academic test scores. This school system has been a great example of how successful the Federal Government is in running our nation's education system. It's no wonder the US ranks far below other countries in education.

This is just another example of the failure of Liberal policies. And, as Neil points out, another example of how Liberal policies, despite their protestations to the contrary, are in reality, racist.

Note: I've been informed that my practice of highlighting what I consider to be important points in red and blue has led to confusion about what is and isn't a hyperlink. Since my blogger format doesn't underline links to distinguish them from colored text, I will no longer use red and blue to highlight points. Any blue text in these posts are links. Green will still be the color of the opening quotations. I hope that clears up any confusion.