Have we Forgotten Segregation? Yes.

In the following question posed online at the Capital Times, not one respondent recoiled in horror over SEGREGATING minority students into “their own school.” I mean, just look at the question!!!

Quick Question: Should Madison public schools establish a charter school primarily for minority male students?

"There’s no guarantee it would succeed, but it may be beneficial to these youths and it’s definitely worth trying.”

“I think it’s needed, but it will only work if we have teachers that look
like the students."

“I think that would be a great idea. I think minority males would do better in a school made for them, they would stay in school and go on and graduate.”

"I think it’s not really needed. Instead of taking the money and setting up a charter school, they should improve the schools they are in right now so all students could improve"

"No … They all should be in the same building because they should know different cultures."

So, how about that little thing called segregation? Anyone have a problem with re-segregating schools, for a profit to boot?

The underlying problem here is how more and more people are buying into the for profit charter and voucher schools model, without ever acknowledging all the drawbacks and fraud such a system would usher in. In fact, private charters schools are so “good” that the Madison School District is considering starting one that would be swimming in debt. Normally, such a condition would add a school to the soon to be closed list.

WSJ: As the Madison School Board prepares to take a second shot Monday at approving an agriculture-themed charter school on Madison's South Side … Badger Rock Middle School … expected to open next fall with 50 sixth-graders … has a projected budget shortfall of $43,000 for 2011-12 …The gap is projected to grow to $134,000 in the charter school's third year, when it has 150 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders.

Board member Marj Passman said "Everybody was very, very excited about the philosophy behind (Badger Rock) and not enough about the finances."