Jacksonville: Vision for city: Top priority for future

[Patricia M. McBride]

Why is it that everytime they say "everyone" should be involved I check to see if my wallet to see how much money has been stolen to support another experiment run at tax payer expense? Improving education is a noble idea truly, but more money won't fix the problem and money is not the problem (parents who aren't involved or themselves educated is the problem along with some of the schools teacher staffing). They need to privatize the schools and parents need to get involved in the process. But that's just my opinion. What's yours?

Posted: October 21, 2010 - 11:32pm

The city of Jacksonville has lived with a dual public school system for far too long.

There is an outstanding college prep track that eventually leads to the nationally ranked high schools of Stanton, Paxon and Douglas Anderson.

And there are neighborhood high schools that produce outstanding students in Fletcher and Mandarin.

School Board member Brenda Priestly Jackson calls these high schools the "Fab Five."

But for many of the other high schools in the system, it's a struggle.

Too many high school students can't read at grade level.

Too many drop out.

Too many are not prepared for the world after high school.

And the fact is that even for students who don't plan to attend college, the high school requirements are not all that different.

Having the ability to learn and upgrade your skills will be a lifetime challenge.

That is why the new study by Jacksonville Community Council Inc. is so welcome. As announced Wednesday, the think tank will examine the prospects for stimulating the local economy. Better public schools are a key part of that. It's not really a choice, of course.

How in the world can a local economy thrive when many of the working age adults can't read effectively?

As the City of Hope campaign illustrates, this requires an effort from everyone, not just those with a family stake in the public schools.

It's our future.