Fire Officer Who Shot Child
Dear Editor,
In Mississippi, a police officer (Greg Capers) shot an unarmed 11-year-old boy. What terrible thing did this underage “perpetrator” do? He called 911 to help his mother. The police officer has been put on paid leave, which is the same thing as a paid vacation. Also, the police department won’t release body camera footage. I think that any police officer that shoots an unarmed child that hasn’t broken the law should be fired.
Chuck Mann
Fund Leandro, Not Vouchers
Dear Editor,
HB 823/SB 406, the “Opportunity Scholarships” bill, would change the slow starvation of public education that the NC General Assembly has enacted for more than 30 years. It would throw open the financial floodgates, diverting hundreds of millions of public dollars to private entities with no accountability.
At this moment, North Carolina teachers would need a 24.5 percent raise just to earn the national average salary. Our children are suffering developmentally because their schools are drastically underfunded in most every way. With $5.5 billion in surplus assets, why is the NCGA hanging our children out to dry?
HB 823/SB 406 removes income limitations for voucher recipients, and would nearly double next year’s funding. Its current funding vastly exceeds what North Carolinians are using.
Private schools can refuse admission to any individual child they choose to, and they do. When a child does enter a private school, they immediately lose their rights to equal education under federal law. Private schools can upcharge for essential services like occupational or speech therapy.
NC’s Constitution guarantees the right to a “sound, basic education” for all NC children. Rep. Jeff Zenger, fund Leandro, not vouchers. It’s the morally and fiscally responsible choice.
Kimberly Thornton Scholl
Fired…?? If the cop is culpable as outlined, (big IF) then he should be up on murder charges.
And the police should be required to make available all body camera video footage, in all incidents, at all times.
They work for us, don’t they?
The kid did not die so murder would be a bit over the top. But I understand how you are not interested in facts when making comments.
Look up “IF”.
Look up ‘as outlined’. No mentioned murder. Heck the kids is out of the hospital already. Don’t let the facts hit on the way to the struggle bus Austin. LOL
Do ya reckon “Chris” is some sorta bot ?
No he’s not a bot Dave, just an insecure narcissist who strokes his ego and assuages his insecurities by propagating sophistry here so as to “win” debates in his own little brain.
It makes him feel better, less anxious and neurotic.
You can continue to throw the millions to public education and you will continue to get the same dismal results that the govt wants you to get. The federal government has dumbed down education via EDI so enjoy their long term goal. GO PRIVATE and have your children get an education, not indoctrination.
My recent-ex was a teacher, and a yeller-dog Democrat. Any Democrat-on-a-stick. At the crack o’dawn, she would rush to polling place to jerk that big lever on the left. NEA all the way. I had to trudge down to correct her vote.
The NEA, governments, school boards, and unions have destroyed our public school system, or now, Government schools. (Old Joe would smile).
Throwing money at gov schools is a total waste of same. Children need to learn how to think, not what to think. Money has little to do with it.
Well said, Miller.
If money improved the education system, our kids would be the smartest in the World – not 27th.
That sounds like a “no-brainer”. It’s astounding the amount of money that is allocated to public schooling, but the children learn nothing of any value to their development as adults.
The mystical indoctrination has just as little to do with our failing schools as well. I hold that our schools fails because they put all kids into the same box when in relatedly different kids from different backgrounds or with different abilities should be taught differently in environments appropriate for their needs. Instead, the State treats every kid the same which holds back those that could excel and limits those that need more direct attention while the most disruptive and underperforming students get the majority of attention and energy from overworked and under paid teachers.
The Right has brainwashed you into this BS anti-woke / indoctrination myth. The left has brainwashed their voters to thinking it is a funding problem. Neither has any real plan to solve the problem.
Education in America has become a monopoly with no competition ,It is being directed by corrupt teachers unions our children have suffered.. There are great teachers, Our education system needs competition. Our inner city children need to be educated. Education is the quickest way out of poverty. Progressives like to use the term reimagine, vouchers is a way to reimagine.
“…diverting hundreds of millions of public dollars to private entities with no accountability.” So, what do we do with those failing public schools that DO have accountability? Central office just rotates in a few new bodies and nothing much changes. Accountability isn’t working so much for the average person.
The great thing about vouchers is: people vote with their feet. If so many families flee their failing district school, then I say: Good!
In my lifetime, it seems most of the extra money going to schools never gets to the classroom. We don’t have extra teachers but seem to have every flavor of administrator making big bucks.
All NC citizens should have the opportunity and choice that Gov Roy Cooper had and made and that is send your child to Private school!
So our bully governor sends his kids to private schools. What a hypocrite.
Money does have little to do with the result of educational output in the State of NC. Under Democrat rule we were like 48th, now we are 48th. We cannot graduate kids that can read, write, nor do math at 8th grade level yet we seem more interested in teaching them “gender , Transgender, Queer, ETC studies. Perhaps if they could spell those things it might help to start the conversation !!
Every family should have the opportunity to send their kids to a private school if they wish. My parents sacrificed greatly when I was in junior high for two years so I could attend a private school. Their effort prepared me for public high school and college far beyond anything I would have gotten in public school at the time in California. What I learned there related to study skills, researching, writing skills, organizing, self-motivation, time management, leadership, discussion and debate, continued to help me in my work and volunteer life.
When I was going to college to get my teaching certificate in the 1970s the push for private school vouchers was mostly coming from liberal Democrats and Libertarians. I think it’s interesting that there’s been such a huge change since and now they’re the ones against the idea that every family should have the opportunity to choose where their kids go to school. No money is being stolen from anyone, the money follows the child and they pick the school they want to attend. Private school students must still pass state standardized tests and state requirements so they are not getting an “unequal” education, but in fact, are getting a more individualized education with smaller class ratios and more qualified teachers.
Parents can still choose to send their kids to public schools and those schools can choose to improve the product they offer to the students who attend. Perhaps this approach will help public schools do a better job of paying attention to the actual needs of the students and parents so the curriculum is better targeted at subjects and lessons that are appropriate for graduating prepared young people into the real world instead of following their own path which is contrary to needs for the majority of young people in this state.
Quite right Deborah. That’s why the people who benefit from the Government Schools (the
‘educators” and the obese bureaucracy) fiercely resist vouchers, or any change that would give families the chance to escape their monopoly.
They’re terrified of competition, and we can all see why.
If everyone could send their kids to private school by using public tax dollars, then that would be public school. Everyone can send their kids to private school. Just not with public dollars.