Daley (Mayor of Chicago) proposes fifth year of high school

The Chicago Sun-Times ^ | August 25, 2006 | Frank Spielman

[Clintonfatigued]

Mayor Daley suggested Thursday that high school be extended for a fifth year to defray college education costs now squeezing working poor and middle-class families.

[Gordongekko909]

While we're at it, why don't we mandate smaller gas tanks on cars to help people deal with rising gas prices?

[ndt]

Like a lead balloon that will go over with high school students.

[Clintonfatigued]

EGAD! I spent four years in high school, and that was bad enough!

If this gets adopted, it will give the public schools what every major reform has given them: more money.

[exit82]

If anything, the fourth year of high school needs to be eliminated. College prep courses that carry no transferable college credit in high school are a waste of time.

Kids today can handle it. Year 12 is a babysitting waste.

[AbeKrieger]

An extra year in HS will help their basketball profile when being selected by colleges. That's the name of the game in public high schools.

Tragically, likely over 50% nationwide graduate in a state of uneducatedness (sorry) and with the state of the teachers' unions, another year won't help anyway.

[MPJackal]

Oh that's brilliant. Urban parents are having a hard time keeping the kids in long enough to graduate, so let's add an extra year so more drop out. And who will pay for it?? Liberalism ALWAYS generates the exact opposite of its stated intent.

[Clintonfatigued]

Indeed! It's like telling an inmate he has to spend an extra year in jail.

[DemforBush]

Ummm....aren't taxpayers going to have to pay for that fifth year of high school?

Robbing Peter to pay Paul, IMO.

[battlegearboat]

Hey, now teachers can marry their students.

[Carling]

Mayor Daley suggested Thursday that high school be extended for a fifth year to defray college education costs now squeezing working poor and middle-class families.

So you add another year of HS at public expense and then college still must be paid for? Am I missing something here? All this does is cost each family MORE money if their kids eventually go to college.

[theDentist]

This is another money grab. Suddenly an entire batch of students that graduate are kept in the system. That many students still on the rolls requires more teachers, more supplies, more buses, more room and of course, all that requires more MONEY. A Tax Hike would be a necessity.

[bannie]

AND we need to return classes in practical skills back to the high schools. NOT EVERY KID SHOULD GO TO COLLEGE.

[RichInOC]

Hmm. I never figured Rich Daley for stupid. At least not that stupid.

[Clintonfatigued]

Given the pain this would cause both students and taxpayers, it's appropriate that someone named The Dentist would post to this thread.

[Ainast]

lol, I remember having "Senioritis" lol.

[rottndog]

So, Daley wants to increase education spending by 10% in one fell swoop to help working poor and middle class families. I'm sure raising their taxes to cover the increase in spending will help plenty.

Stupid, Stupid Dumocrats.

BTW, if they can't educate children properly in 12 years, what makes this idiot think that one more year will help?

[Paperdoll]

Talk about stupid!!!

[ChildOfThe60s]

While we're at it, why don't we mandate smaller gas tanks on cars to help people deal with rising gas prices?

You know, I think you have a future in government service.

All that money these parents will be saving on college can now be taken away by the local government as taxes to pay for that extra year in HS.

Darn, there goes another free lunch.

[A CA Guy]

Teacher's union behind that cr@p no doubt.

Try vouchers instead and it will get much better.

[Gordongekko909]

Mmm. Free lunch!

[Gordongekko909]

Dude, vouchers are like kryptonite to the teachers' unions.

[Clintonfatigued]

Mayor Daley isn't the first to propose this. Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has also indicated he thinks it's a good idea.

[mcvey]

Education ping list
Let Republicanprofessor, McVey, JamesP81, or eleni121 know if you wish to be placed on this ping list or taken off of it.


This really is politics at its cheapest. How would you accredit these courses? How would you transfer them? Would out-of-state schools understand that that fifth year did not meant that the students had been held back?

The implications boggle the mind. This is not going to happen and if it does it will create such a titanic mess that, gosh, we will need another big dollar solution to solve it.

McVey

[darkangel82]

He said that in an election year? Dang, how stupid can you get?

[thoughtomator]

Um... a more sensible approach would be to halve the number of years in school from 12 to 6, because that's all the material they learn these days, anyway (if that).

[Michael Goldsberry]

fifth year of high school

That's usually known as a "Freshman."

[Samwise]

While we're at it, why don't we mandate smaller gas tanks on cars to help people deal with rising gas prices?

That won't work. We need to pass legislation to double the size of a gallon, then we could get 60 miles per gallon of gas.

[mgstarr]

Richie is an ass and an idiot.

Lord know why Chicagoans votes for him.

I lived there during his first term.

[CrazyIvan]

"Hmm. I never figured Rich Daley for stupid. At least not that stupid."

Have you ever heard the man speak? He could use another year of grammar school.

[JHBowden]

Want to lower college costs?

End the Department of Education, which is a reactionary, affirmative action program for yuppie kids.

Artificially inflating demand for a product increases the equilibrium price.

[TWfromTEXAS]

in the mid 40's my grandmother was the last class in Texas that only had to go 11 years. she graduated from college in 3 years and was 19 when she got out. she was far smarter, and educated than most people i know.

[theDentist]

My thanks CF. For that observation, on your next visit, I'll use the REAL novacaine. :-)

[goodnesswins]

goodnesswins suggests they BAN HIGHSCHOOL.....if they haven't learned the basics by age 14.....they need to start learning about life.

[edwin hubble]

"If anything, the fourth year of high school needs to be eliminated. College prep courses that carry no transferable college credit in high school are a waste of time.

Kids today can handle it. Year 12 is a babysitting waste."


Actually, that was proposed for Virginia.
So many seniors are taking AP and college courses.

[Clintonfatigued]

I wonder if this will cost him any votes?

[A CA Guy]

Give only half the money they provide to public schools in vouchers and return the other half back to the State Treasury to pay off bonds or something else.

The unions of the state and federal government are destroying us just as they have businesses in the private sector.

Why do some think they have some right to do that?

[RichInOC]

No, I hadn't heard him that much, but I understand that's sort of an old family tradition.

[upchuck]

Hallooou Mayor Daley.

Who pays for the current K-12 system?

And who would pay for this extra year?

Moron!

[garyhope]

How many years does it take to teach kids basic reading, writing and math, some American and world history, geography, science, basic thinking and logic?

Maybe we could use less years in school and more of them working or traveling the world and learning something else.

Maybe we should teach them how to prepare for their financial future and how to keep their pants on (or up), not get married until you're fully prepared for adulthood and not endlessly reproduce without preparation.

I think when you finish high school, the government should issue you a passport, a backpack, a limited debit card, some good sturdy shoes and an airline ticket out of the country. You should stay gone for a year or two and come back fully cognizant and chastised about how good and wonderful America really is compared to the rest of the crappy world. Then you go to work and actually produce something besides words, slogans, drivel and "protests".

[Welsh Rabbit]

Year 12 is a babysitting waste.

It was for me. I'd gotten all my college required courses finished in my junior year. My senior year was mostly "study hall".

[KevinDavis]

The same Phil Bresdesen that some Freepers liked?

[EDINVA]

so, we tax more to keep them in school another year, making the costs of college even more out of reach of middle class famiiles. brilliant!

[Clintonfatigued]

I have exchanged posts with a couple of Tennessee Freepers, none of whom admire Bresdesen.

[StockAyatollah]

Well we used to refer to the local community college as "13th grade".

[facedown]

Chicagoland ping?

[B Knotts]

Ha ha ha. What a genius. Not.

As if we can't figure out that he's just trying to payoff the corrupt unions...it is sad that so many politicians, namely liberal Democrats, see education merely as a jobs program to be used as a patronage payoff.

[Clintonfatigued]

It doesn't make sense to me, either.

[Mrs. Darla Ruth Schwerin]

"Mayor Daley suggested Thursday that high school be extended for a fifth year to defray college education costs now squeezing working poor and middle-class families."

Not only is this statement laughable, but its also not too difficult to figure out the reasons for skyrocketing education costs. Could they possibly be associated with all the illegals. And what better way to get more money from the government than to install a 5-year plan for students, who by the way, most can't stand being in high school for 4 years, much less 5. Wonder how long it will take for somebody to suggest a 6-year plan...

[okie01]

Tragically, likely over 50% nationwide graduate in a state of uneducatedness (sorry) and with the state of the teachers' unions, another year won't help anyway.

You're looking at this the wrong way.

The mayor's proposal would result in 25% more high school teaching jobs...