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Just remember...If YOU pay for your child's education you can demand results...If you want everone else to pay to educate your child you get what you pay for... a baby sitting service.

OMG, Can you believe that we are failing because of our "Special Ed. Kids" That is what is being reported by the Fluffer this morning. I mean come on folks, when you were a kid you blamed the teacher not liking you for the failing grade... And as an adult you blame the kids? Special Ed. Kids at that. We all know that Mrs. Pattie will be retiring in the near future but comments like that one, it might come sooner than later..... And of coure the Fluffer is only reporting what he has been told. Blaming the Special Education Kids? That makes me sick.. Even if the scores show that we need improvment in the area, you DON"T BLAME THE KIDS!

Someone in my family says this story can't be true. They say that the Chamber ad in the paper says Dade County has schools that are "second to none". I responded, "wonder where None is?" Ecuador? Burkina Faso?

Dade County has schools that are "second to none". Well that statement in is true when it comes to failing AYP this year in North Ga. But after all if it wasn't for those "Special Needs" kids bringing down the scores we wouldn't have failed. I hate when a certain "Group" of kids bring all the other scores down... HHHMMMM Seems to me for a case of Saying something that will come back to Bite you in the Butt. The only difference was not blaming and calling them the "R" word!

I find this topic interesting because despite "great gains" at the middle school level and new programs at the high school level (freshman academy, graduation coaches, etc) many parents still have a strong desire or wish to see their students taught elsewhere. I was recently at a parent meeting and many in the group expressed a desire to send their children elsewhere as they prepared to enter middle school in Dade County and all who had children that age or approaching that age had researched the matter. I think it would be eye opening to the school system who focuses so much on losing children at the high school level to learn that they really begin losing them at the middle school level (yes, I have pointed this out to Mrs. Priest) and that their parents wish nearly as much as they children that they weren't in the Dade County School system. I also think it would be interesting to see the board's (and administrators')reactions if 1) a survey were taken where parents were asked whether or not their children would attend Dade County M.S. or H.S. were money not a factor or 2) schools did not receive any money (including property taxes) from parents who chose to take their students elsewhere and people could choose the school to send their school portion of property taxes to. Then the school system would have to listen more to the parents, teachers and voters and would have to "compete" to get those children into the system and control of the school system would be back where it should be - in the hands of the parents and voters. It is very sad that although several are happy with the elementary schools - so many are unhappy with the higher levels. I personally know two children who are leaving the middle school this year for an alternative - private school or homeschool - at a great sacrifice for their parents who feel it is worth it not to have to deal with Dade Middle anymore.

I've said before that as long as a "fix" for public education is something other than what has already been tried for the last 50 years (throwing more money at education) and failed it will never be "fixed". Local control over education is an illusion. There is so little the board can actually do it's almost not worth having one. All the real control is by state and federal bureaucrats and funded by politicians who want to get reelected.

You hit on something above that I also believe. If parents had to actually write a check just for their child's education would they pay to send them to this school system. I'm betting it would have to close for lack of money. Between the ones who couldn't pay anything and those who wouldn't pay their own money for a mediocre, at best, education there wouldn't be anyone left.

As a libertarian I'm not in favor of funding education the way we've been doing it for years but this probably isn't going to change in my lifetime. Maybe when the economy crashes and there's no money left to fund government education we can start over. People are so used to educating their kids with OPM (Other People's Money) that they can't really complain about the quality of the product they're getting for fear that any change that's too radical would put the responsibility for education back where it should be, on the parents.

Yea, well it's almost "Football Season" and all will be good then.....lol...lol....

Did anyone notice that our rate went up and that the High School attendence went down by about 50? For a school so small I wonder why we had such a fluctuation in attendance? I could understand a difference of 20 or less but 50? I will look more into this.

Reading the Dade County "Fish" wrapper today and looks like the BOE wants a 3%+ raise in taxes... OK give it to them and they must guarantee the graduation rate will go up the same amount and that every school in the system will meet and exceed the AYP next year. And if they don’t the taxes next year will be cut 10% ….

Can you imagine what would happen if a restaurant in Dade didn't pass a health inspection for two years in a row? How about if you took your car to a mechanic for two years and he never quite fixed it right? Both businesses would fail right? What if your tax money went to support them and you still had to pay for the meal or car repair anyway whether you were happy or not or whether you even used the service or not? Why then do we continue to reward the government school system with more and more money with worse and worse results? I know, cause it's "for the children." There are never any consequences for poor performance in government schools except the price paid by the kids getting a substandard education.

When the economy collapses, and it's going to, maybe we can start over with everyone paying for their own kid's education because there certainly won't be enough property taxes to continue paying for what we're getting, or not, now.