Just because your school board calls you racist?

Teachers no longer control their classrooms. Discipline has been out-sourced to Doyle administration building. The Behavior Education Plan — at a cost of $5.2 million a year — is in its sixth year and the racial divide remains as intransigent as ever.

So what is the school board’s response? Play the race card on Madison’s unionized teachers.

No wonder more teachers are getting out of town. Last school year, 8.3% of teachers left the district after the 2018-19 school year, not counting retirement. That’s up from 5.5% in 2014-15.

Smile when you call me that

In a school district that is 18% black, 57% of students suspended from school the first semester of the current school year (2019-20) were African-American. White students, 43% of the student body, accounted for 11% of out-of-school suspensions.

To school board member Ali Muldrow, the data showed more about school staff than about students’ behavior. “We are really excited to discipline black students and seem far less compelled to discipline or suspend or expel white students.” (Source here.)

Board member Savion Castro said the data is “evidence of racism in our schools” that needs to be looked at “through a lens of public health.” 

School board member Ananda Mirilli “pointed to adults who are upholding an old system that gives us this [disproportionality] year after year after year.”

Play by the rules and you’ll still get thrown under the bus, as Mr. Rob learned at Whitehorse middle school. Or use the N-word in an educational setting.

Heading for the exits

Good Madison progressives would rather blame Scott Walker. But the former Republican governor did not hire Jennifer Cheatham nor did he elect Ali, Ananda, and Savion. We’ll know the situation is going from bad to worse if Muldrow/Mirilli protege Maia Pearson survives today’s (02-18-2020) primary election.

Enrollment is expected to decline next year — no doubt aided by the Open Enrollment Plan, which allows Madison residents to send their kids elsewhere if there are openings. (Application period through April 30 for next school year.) Madison also got a smattering of more school choice voucher options.

Students aren’t the only ones leaving the district.

What do YOU think?