I was certain when I wrote about the need to save public education, that there would be many who would do all they could to protect their turf and that they would be vocal in defending the abysmal performance and the gross inefficiencies of our current system.
As I wrote, I did serve for a long time on my local school board. Ms. Jarrett did not let me down, but she did distort nearly everything I wrote.
At no point did I ever imply that public education could or should turn away a student, regardless of their abilities or behavior. What I clearly stated was that students must be grouped according to their abilities and behavior so that the sprinters can reach their full potential, as well as having strong vocational training so that the others could reach theirs. Ms. Jarrett went on and on beating a horse that simply does not exist.
I was taken to task for stating that the future of our country is in the hands of the high achievers who will lead our government and businesses, a statement I stand by, of course. We are nearing the end of an eight-year span where a low achiever was given control of our government; see how well that has worked out.
The country will of course need people in all the trades as well to be successful and that is exactly why I called far better vocational education for those who are not college bound. Calling for those whose behavior is not appropriate to be separated from the rest was not a call to turn them away and I never even implied that. These youngsters need intense socialization counseling and we need teachers with special training who can focus on their needs too.
As I stated, Lake County is a small rural area and having our own school district would surely be “local control” since the entire county only has about 53,000 residents and a few thousand students. The Los Angeles Unified School District ? as of my call to them on Dec. 2 ? has over 694,000 students.
It is patently absurd to have no less than eight districts and eight Superintendents in Lake County. If we were to have just one, we could add between 20 and 30 teachers, which would reduce class size, enable more classes to be tailored to the needs of specific students and enhance the educational experience for all.
Just as the sprinter is wasting his/her time listening to the same kid getting scolded for the sooth time, the student who should be getting vocational training is bored to death learning about molecular biology and the bad actor is not getting the counseling he/she needs to find the way back to society.
The simple facts are that we spend more and get a lower return on our investment than our competitors, which are the other developed nations We must do better quickly or public education will be dismantled.
There is a large faction out there salivating at the chance to get their hands on that money. The first step towards recovery is to admit that there is a problem. Ms. Jarrett seems to be very proud of and satisfied with the status quo. The time for pretending that ?everything is fine, we Just need more money” is long past.
If we don”t admit that drastic changes must be made now and begin making those changes immediately it is likely that we will see the cornerstone of what made America special and great being torn apart before our eyes. This reform needs to be done nationwide, not just in Lake County of course, but I made my case for changes here because that is what I”m most familiar with. Taxpayers deserve better. Our children deserve better.
Lowell Grant is a resident of Lakeport. Opinions expressed in all Guest Commentaries are solely those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views or endorsement of the Lake County Record-Bee or its staff.
