How religion hurts public education (a badly needed rant)

[BooBrown]

Last edited Wed Mar 5, 2014, 09:02 PM - Edit history (1)

I've lived in Columbia, Missouri, for over 40 years. Grew up here and had a great education in the city's public schools. Facilities are well maintained and often upgraded. Teachers are well paid.

Columbia is a college town (Columbia College and Stephens College) as well as being home to the University of Missouri's flagship campus. The city's population (unlike the rest of the state -- except for St. Louis) is highly educated and has always had a large international community. We are home to one of the first muslim mosque's outside of St. Louis or Kansas City. And in a city with a population of about 110,000, we have six organic groceries, a non-profit food buying service, plus two thriving farmers' markets.

When you look at county-by-county election maps, we're in that little lone blue county (Boone) in the middle of the big red state.

In my memory, we've only voted down one ballot issue for funding public education. And that was because it was just badly written. This is a highly progressive city.

My daughter was born here and benefited from the schools. She graduated from MU and went on to Veterinary College where she graduated summa cum laude and then moved to the state's capital, Jefferson City, to join a vet practice. My son-in-law was hired by a national educational company for it's midwest branch and is doing very well. They live in a middle-class neighborhood on the city's east side (close to the vet practice); and last fall, they gave me my first grandchild.

Now starts the outrageous part. Jefferson City has one of the absolute worst public education systems I've EVER seen. (although I'm so pissed I may be exaggerating a little). The city's voters consistently deny any investment in their public schools. On the east side, the only elementary school to serve that area is falling down, the students are failing, test scores are rock bottom, and the city does not give a rat's ass.

Why? Because in Jefferson City, our state's capital, those with the means send their kids to private school and don't feel obligated to support public schools. Last year, the school district tried to get desperately needed funding for a new east side elementary school building. They were voted down. This is an elementary school that's been in crisis for over 40 years.

And these private schools are mainly roman catholic. There IS one lutheran, and one k-12 montessori (35 students).

Where is the support for public education? Along with voting, public (secular) education is the foundation of this country. But for my grandson to get any kind of decent education, we'd have to send him to private school. Outrageous.

I'm not looking for answers, I just really needed to blow off some steam about this. I know it's happening everywhere. But this Jefferson City situation has made it personal. I'm one pissed-off granny.

[Curmudgeoness]

1. Although I would love to blame the problems

with public schools on religion (and I would take a perverse pleasure in it), I am not sure that is the problem. The people who can afford private schools have always sent their kids to them, whether they are parochial schools or other private schools. And this happens all over the country. In my small town, there is one private school that is a Catholic school, and many people send their kids there, even though they not Catholic or even religious.

With that said, I don't blame you for being upset about the state of the public schools and their funding. But if the citizens are able to vote on whether or not to raise taxes for the schools, it is not just the wealthy who are sending their kids to private schools who are voting those measures down because I would bet there are more people who are not private school people than who are. (I am assuming that the citizens vote on the issue there, because we do not here----our school board has the power to raise our taxes.)

[TxDemChem]

2. We have similar problems in many parts of North Texas

It's quite sad. Hubby and I have decided to buy a house in a college town for those same reasons. The area we are in now is only now investing in education, after decades of neglect. But it's a bit too late for many of the families whose children are nearing school age. They too are moving to Denton.

[Brainstormy]

3. Happening everywhere

All of my grandchildren (four) are now in church schools. Here in Georgia they're mostly protestant fundamentalist but it seems that any family with means puts the kids in these private church schools. I watch the time and energy and money that my daughter and daughter-in-law invest in their children's schooling and really grieve to see all that talent and engagement lost to the public system which could really use it. I also see the religion "backwash" entering the homes and the kids, imo, getting a little creepy. We've got to pray over everything at family gatherings now. The 9 year old's school even uses a Bob Jones University published science textbook!

As you pointed out, they justify this by saying that the public schools are so bad. I sympathize, but this is being part of the problem and not the solution. I just stay heartsick over it all the time.