One depressing reality that those in blue enclaves must face is that there is often no accountability.
When there’s no difference in governance from one leftist politician to the next and no new approaches for decades, problems tend to fester, and citizens get left behind.
And Baltimore’s Mayor has enraged parents when he had zero words after this jaw-dropping tragedy.
The latest round of state test scores have been released in the so-called “Charm City” of Baltimore – and the results have been anything but charming.
Project Baltimore is an investigative reporting initiative launched by Sinclair Broadcast Group to examine the unique challenges that confront the Baltimore area’s public school systems.
The investigation revealed that in a shocking number of Baltimore City schools, not a single student is doing math at grade level.
Jovani Patterson, a Baltimore resident said, “We’re not living up to our potential. We, the taxpayer, are funding our own demise.”
Patterson filed a lawsuit against Baltimore City Schools last year, claiming that the district isn’t properly preparing students and is misusing taxpayer funds.
Given the results of the investigation, it’s hard to dispute these claims.
Not a single student in 23 schools was proficient in math
Project Baltimore sifted through all 150 city schools where the state math test was given, and the results were downright startling.
In 23 Baltimore schools, there wasn’t a single student who tested proficient in math.
When shown the results of the latest test scores, Patterson said, “My immediate reaction is, take your kids out of these schools. It just sounds like these schools, now, have turned into essentially babysitters with no accountability. This is the future of our city. We’ve got to change this. These kids can’t do math. You’re not preparing them to buy groceries. You’re not preparing them to do accounting, to count their own money. You’re not preparing them to read contracts and negotiate salaries.”
But if teachers and administrators failing these kids isn’t bad enough, the story gets even more tragic.
When Mayor Brandon Scott (D) was asked by Local TV Station Fox 45 the simple questions of, “Do you believe a change in school leadership is necessary in Baltimore? If not, why not?” and “How do you defend these results?” the news outlet was met with a cold shoulder.
No one from Scott’s communication team answered the questions, and after a request for another follow-up interview there was still no response.
Parents are justifiably outraged.
“I can’t afford no thousand-dollar tutor”
Nichelle Watkins, a Baltimore City parent, said, “They go there to get babysat for eight hours and come home. I can’t afford no thousand-dollar tutor from Sylvan. But that’s what he needs.”
But while some like Councilman Mark Conway say that a hearing needs to take place to demand answers from local school leaders, that hearing may be months off because of upcoming budget hearings.
The tax dollars continue to flow but it’s hard to imagine a worse return on investment.
What this tragedy in Baltimore shows is that the entire system needs to be scrapped in favor of a voucher system so parents can home-school, seek tutoring, or send their kids to schools that prepare them for successful adulthood.
The politicians that can stand up to the teachers’ unions and corrupt officials that are allowing these failures to mount will surely be rewarded, and better yet, it’s just the right thing to do.
Stay tuned to Blue State Blues for any updates to this ongoing story.
