"A child's learning is the function more of the characteristics of his classmates than those of the teacher." James Coleman, 1972

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

TN Voucher Bill Will Preserve Segregation for Memphis Poor

Most of the poorest Memphis schools make up the bottom 5 percent among TN test takers.  The current bill moving through the state legislature offers $6,500 vouchers to these poorest kids. There is not even a marginal private school in Memphis that these kids can go to with their $6,500 vouchers.

Since private schools can't charge more, the black voucher kids will create a market for the black Baptist opportunists to create less than marginal church schools to fill the void and the pockets of the black churchmen who would rather build their own little fiefdoms at public expense than to stand up for integrated public schools for all children.  Sadly, SCLC has joined hands with the corporate Stand on Children to support the bill.

To borrow from Jonathan Kozol, the moment that these white conservatives in the Legislature offer vouchers in the amount that black kids can attend the most expensive Memphis University School at $20K a year, that's when I'll become a Republican.

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