[speechlesstx]

If you had dug deeper, you would know that the TEA statistics are under fire for the way they have skewed the numbers to hide the problem of drop out rates, so let me catch you up a bit

Are ANY official statistics accurate? I doubt it, but I know the dropout rate in Texas is not 50% - and I live in Texas by the way, have all my life. The story you cite says "At least half of all high school students in the state's major cities are dropping out of school."

Even if that were true that's still an important distinction between ALL of Texas students and those in major cities. I know people a lot of you in those major cities forget we're a part of Texas up here, but Texas is a pretty big place with quite a few people that don't live in DFW, San Antonio, Austin and Houston.

and let me clarify another point as the turnover rate for teachers is 50% as of 2006, in Texas, and the ISD's here depends on their funding from the state, and local schools can only administer what the state gives them, and that could use some oversight as well.

There's that 50% number again, where did that come from and what exactly do you mean by "turnover"? I think we can all agree public education is broken, but I can't buy just any old statistic thrown out there.

As to the Supreme courts new ruling, for now it only applies to the Seattle and Louisiana school systems specifically, and other districts are already on notice to modify there integration policy, as they must use other factors besides race, to determine the make up of schools in their jursdiction. The ruling fixes nothing, and until they get to the root of the problem, which is economics, not race, the problem will grow, as it has in the past.

It's much more than economics.

[talaniman]

It's much more than economics.

Explain please, and by the way I'm in Dallas and this is a hot issue as it will affect you also when you start seeing increased property taxes, and in Dallas, as in most of the big hubs in Texas teachers are hard to keep, just look at the want adds the schools put out, they give anyone who comes to work for them 6 months to be certified as long as they can start now, as well as paying for relocation. Don't think cause you live in the country, you will not be affected in some way. Come on Amarillo this is everyone's problem and you can't bury your head in the sand and say its not. We are all Americans.

There's that 50% number again, where did that come from and what exactly do you mean by "turnover"? I think we can all agree public education is broken, but I can't buy just any old statistic thrown out there.

These are the numbers your state legislature is currently working with. Been in all the news for a few weeks now. Denying the problem doesn't solve it.

[speechlesstx]

Explain please, and by the way I'm in Dallas and this is a hot issue as it will affect you also when you start seeing increased property taxes,

Uh, my property taxes have increased 30 percent in the last 3 years so I know all about that, and our governor good promised the "average homeowner will receive a $2000 tax cut." When I say it's much more than economics you should ask a few teachers what it's like to teach in a public school these days. You know, the atmosphere, disciplinary issues, iinsane policies...

and in Dallas, as in most of the big hubs in Texas teachers are hard to keep, just look at the want adds the schools put out, they give anyone who comes to work for them 6 months to be certified as long as they can start now, as well as paying for relocation.

Everyone has a hard time keeping teachers, and while looking for something to verify your 50% turnover rate I did find something that said Philadelphia had a 70 percent turnover rate over six years... but nothing on this 50 percent Texas turnover rate.

Don't think cause you live in the country, you will not be affected in some way. Come on Amarillo this is everyone's problem and you can't bury your head in the sand and say its not. We are all Americans.

LOL, I have never in my life lived in the country. Amarillo has 50 schools, 185,000 people over 87.9 square miles with a metropolitan population of about 230,000, so we're not exactly Hickville. By golly, we even have the internet, satellite TV, a nuclear weapons facility and TWO Chili's restaurants :D

[talaniman]

I grew up with the rooster crowing every morning, in corn country.

[speechlesstx]

I grew up with the rooster crowing every morning, in corn country.

I never said I didn't ever wake up with to rooster crowing, our weird neighbors had chickens when I was a kid :)