Posted on 03/15/2004 3:13:47 PM PST by blam
School reforms irk St. Louis parents
Mon Mar 15, 9:40 AM ET Chicago Tribune
By Stephanie Simon Tribune Newspapers: Los Angeles Times
Nine months ago, the school board hired a corporate turnaround company to run the troubled public education system here.
The consultants will return to New York in June, their $4.7-million contract up.
They will leave behind a school district in chaos and a city enraged.
Applying business models developed to save casinos and clothing chains from bankruptcy, the outsiders slashed the district's expenses by 15 percent. They shut 16 schools, laid off more than 1,100 employees and hired private companies to handle food service, building maintenance and payroll accounting.
They made the moves quickly, with minimal public input. Many parents felt betrayed. Accusations of racism filled the air as some activists protested that the cuts fell most heavily on black neighborhoods.
The uproar is getting louder.
The restructuring experts, from Alvarez & Marsal Inc., announced this month that their budget cuts haven't been deep enough. To close a $23-million gap projected for the 2004-2005 school year, they have proposed shutting more schools, boosting class sizes or eliminating such extras as field trips, library book purchases and enrichment programs for gifted students.
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
Not according to the NEA. They have started to bring in people using the H-1B program. (Of coarse this OK since they are doing it for the children, yeah right.)
It saddens and frustrates me too to see people abused with not even knowing it. My extended family is biracial. The hardest thing we are called to deal with is the low expectations our black family members impose on themselves. I could just shake them, but what I'd really like to do is throttle the demorats. They are the plantation owners replacements in this century.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.