Yesterday the State took over my county's school system. Dam good!

[ThomWV]

I moved here 30 years ago and our only son went to school in the neighboring county. That worked out well for us because when he was in grade school we were both in college in that county and in later years we both worked there. The thing is that as we met more and more of our neighbors in this very rural and mountainous area it became clear that - how to be polite in saying this - the locals were lacking a bit in education. I didn't really have much to base it on but I was glad that my son did not go to school here.

Yesterday the state took over the counties Department of Education. I have not read just what this means but I have been told that after repeated failures from various inspections and poor academic performance with no attempt attempt by the county to take corrective actions the state simply marched in.

Imagine that. Here we are in a state that ranks right at the bottom of every measure imaginable to test our schools and now it appears that I am in the very center of the worst of it. It always amazed me that the people around were were so downright stupid in so many very basic ways. You can not imagine what it is like to carry on a conversation with some of these folks. In the very worst cases its when you can see how smart the person is and how incapable they are of expressing what they are thinking. No shit, the young guy who works on my truck in a garage alongside his house is one of the smartest guy's I've ever known, but it dam sure didn't come from the high school he attended, just a mile from his house and where his two daughters will end up going.

So while it really doesn't have much to do with me (except my taxes have been paying for this continuing-failure for 3 decades) I sure am happy that finally someone is doing something about it.

P.S.: Preston County, West Virginia

[leftyclimber]

1. I was really relieved this finally happened.

No kids should be forced to go to school in broken down buildings with no heat or climate control, or to be stuffed into another school on a weird schedule where the day is one constant disruption for both the kids that were there first and the newcomers, or to share tattered out-of-date books between several children. As low as teacher salaries are in this state, it's a crime that Preston Co. teachers have no benefits. When all the creative accounting finally came to light, that was just the icing on the cake.

It's really thrown into sharp relief when I look at the Mon County schools and their snazzy new buildings and all the extra stuff they have, then I see the horrendous state of the Preston County Schools. It's like looking across the US-Mexico border or something.

I hope the state shapes things around quick.

[SharonAnn]

2. Here in East TN, I wish they'd take over the school system. It's really bad and

the locals have no idea how bad it is, because it's apparently no worse than its always been.

It's the only place I've ever lived where good education is not valued. It really isn't valued and even is looked down upon sometimes. And higher education? Really not valued.

And then, there a lot here who home school their kids for religious reasons. that way I guess they can pass on what they know, which is precious little except about the Rapture and that kind of thing.

A letter to the editor in the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2002 said it well. I've always kept this because it kind of summed things up (it was referring to the legislature not wanting to raise taxes for education and infrastructure):

"Where I grew up in Yankee country, people generally regarded the (rural) South as a region uniquely marked by demagoguery, anti-intellectualism and deep, deep ignorance.

Judging by the antics of the state Legislature over the past three years, I'd say we got it just about right."

Sadly, it hasn't improved since then.

The lack of education, the incredible ignorance of what I would have considered knowledge, and the absolute opposition to changing things continues to stun me.

[pleah]

3. Wow! It only took them 30 years?

Seriously, I'm glad they stepped in to help the children.:hi:

[elleng]

4. That's excellent news!

What I don't understand is this: Why/how could it take so long, if WVU, where my daughter is a junior (studying early childhood/special education) is as fine a school as it is! They seem to have their act together in MANY ways, including providing special attention for challenged students!

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Well let's hope they don't sit on their hands and do nothing like

the state of Missouri has done in St Louis.