When the Boston School Committee approved the merger or close of 18 different schools last December in an effort to prevent $63 million in debt for the 2011 school year, teachers and students rallied together in disbelief and anger. Superintendent Carol Johnson sanctioned the decision in hope that the reduction would save $10 million or more. More than two months later, however, the community is still angry as ever – and now, there’s been a complaint that the School Committee’s decision was made on the basis of racial discrimination against the black and Latino communities.
The Black Educators’ Alliance of Massachusetts and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law of the Boston Bar Association have pointed out that there is a severe difference in socioeconomic status between schools that have been allowed to stay open and schools that the State Committee has ordered to close. While the superintendent is willing to work with the groups who have complained, leaders are saying that the promised replacement “quality schools” aren’t materializing as fast as they should be and are willing to go to lengths to see them enacted.
While the superintendent is rightly concerned with ensuring the public school system in Boston has all the resources it needs, which might not be the case in the event of a $63 million shortfall, it does appear as if those of a low socioeconomic status are being sighted – even if not intentionally – on the premise of their poor performance. The idea that “expanding choices in higher-performing schools,” as Johnson said, will have a positive impact on the underperforming populace seems misinformed.
President Barack Obama has placed emphasis on competition and self-responsibility so that the country can lift itself out of debt. But without the necessary means, how can underprivileged Boston students achieve these ends? Synthesizing schools will only lower the academic standard. While it’s unlikely that the School Committee is racist, it seems that once again, minority communities are getting the short end of the stick. As the gap continues to widen nationwide between the rich and poor, it’s apparent that the ideal of philanthropy is slowly but surely dissolving. Instead of taking away resources, the School Committee should be concerned with investing in them.
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