[sappy]

We’re not spending enouch on education. sarc/

[Rich21IE]

Hmmm, maybe they’re dropping out to leave California? Maybe they’re a lot smarter than we give them credit for!

[brownsfan]

It’s white people’s fault.

[Vaduz]

Fewer art and music classes, cuts to sports.Oh that takes state funding? Can’t they do that at home?How about sticking to education and not play time?.

[apoxonu]

O'Connell blamed the increase on state budget cuts, which have resulted in larger class sizes, fewer art and music classes, cuts to sports, fewer counselors and less access to career/technical courses - all programs that can help keep struggling or at-risk students in school.

Yeah, it had nothing to do with unions protecting bad teachers who collect huge salaries/benefits for failing these kids, then more so after they get tenure.

[EyeGuy]

The “War on Poverty” needs to be cranked up to the quadrillion dollar level.

Trillions over the past 40 + years just ain’t enough....

[Ballygrl]

Stop all benefits, 5 generations is enough, people have to stand on their own and decide whether to sink or swim. All this money that has been given over the decades haven’t done a thing.

[econjack]

O'Connell blamed the increase on state budget cuts, which have resulted in larger class sizes, fewer art and music classes, cuts to sports, fewer counselors and less access to career/technical courses - all programs that can help keep struggling or at-risk students in school.

Sounds to me like most of the cuts were on the teacher/program side of things. How many administrators were cut?

[Bon mots]

We should send them to Shanghai for their education.

...or they should learn how to operate one of these:

[Mr. K]

Sure don’ wanna be “actin’ white” an’ all n’ be gettin’ no schoolin’

[re_nortex]

More than a third of California's African American public high school students dropped out before graduation day, a startling number and one that's on the rise, according to 2009 data released Tuesday.

The operative phrase in the article is "public high school". Translate that to government-run and the meaning becomes self-evident.

As long as the government runs educational facilities, the system will remain broken. Add the corrupting influence of union teachers to that fetid recipe and the result is disaster.

The business of education is best handled by private enterprise in the free-market with the profit motive as the incentive to drive results.

[A message]

O'Connell blamed the increase on state budget cuts, which have resulted in larger class sizes, fewer art and music classes, cuts to sports, fewer counselors and less access to career/technical courses - all programs that can help keep struggling or at-risk students in school.

Pfft... the problem is a lack of decent parenting, children out of wed-lock and overall massive ignorance.

When one is both lazy and stuck on stupid don't expect different results.

NO amount of tax dollars will change that.

[pallis]

That’s nothing. How many made it to graduation without knowing their multiplication tables or knowing the parts of a sentence? Scratch another 50 percent.

[edcoil]

Last week you will recall California dropped to 50th in education - dead last.

They are not missing much.

[mbarker12474]

Dropout rates are not a problem as long as unemployment compensation keeps being extended.

I say we should extend unemployment payment duration to infinity, and shut down the school systems. After all, there is no need for an education if your needs are paid for by others.

[Navy Patriot]

California is operating as designed by the wise majority of California voters.

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

Perhaps we should consider that black drop out rates are not reflective of environmental factors?

[donna]

Hispanic students had the second highest rate at 27 percent.

I don't think I believe these figures.

How do we know whether CA is doctoring the figures to get federal funding for students counts?

[TSgt]

NO HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA/GED
NO CLEAN DRUG TEST
NO WELFARE!

[MarineBrat]

Headline: “Blacks Drop Out Whites Hit Hardest”