I was honored to emcee the first annual Diversity Business Luncheon today at Cliffbreakers. The Rockford Ministers’ Fellowship and Freedom West Foundation hosted a wonderful gathering that included a keynote address by Chicago Urban League President, Andrea Zopp.
Zopp delivered a message about the desperate need for school funding reform in the state of Illinois that was dead on. No matter how you look at it, basing school funding on property taxes isn’t fair. 93% of Illinois black students and 60% of its Latino students attend school in districts where the poverty rate exceeds 30%. As Zopp demonstrated with a school basketball that had been used to the point it had no orange covering, all too often the funding disparities in the poorer districts is glaringly obvious. For administrators, the choice often comes down to purchasing books or recreational materials for students – there’s not enough money for both.
Illinois spends 2.8 times more money annually on a prisoner that it does on a student. What’s wrong with that investment? As Zopp pointed out, we’d be far better off investing that money in our children’s education, ensuring strong and equal learning environments, preparing them for college and a world of employment. Preparing educated children ensures that they support our tax base through employment and daily living investments instead of drawing from State systems for medical care, housing and food.
It won’t be easy to overhaul the manner in which Illinois funds its school systems, it’s a complex and multi layered equation that touches on multiple layers of government and educational institutions; it can be done, however. It won’t make politicians popular, it won’t happen quickly, but reform in school funding is desperately needed to ensure every child receives a quality education that prepares them for the future.
My fellow blogger, Reverend Matthew Johnson-Doyle, wrote a fantastic blog today also highlighting Andrea Zopp’s presentation and the challenges of school funding reform. I’d encourage you to read it and perhaps look deeper at the work being done by the Chicago Urban League in advocating for change in educational funding.
On March 31, 1968, Martin Luther King, Jr. said “On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must do it because conscience tells him it is right.”
Kris: You my friend are a racist and you don’t even realize it. I have had it with the feel sorry for me diversity minded sheep in our society. In your article you never once mentioned the white people who live in poverty ridden neighborhoods. I have good money that says you live in a nice neighborhood east of downtown.
Don’t feed the world your bent ideas about equality when you yourself refuse to include everyone in the picture.
Just because you lower one group to raise up another doesn’t make you savior.
Gowader – I am fully aware of the poverty rates and what color the children are – are you aware that there are more white children living in poverty than any other ethnicity? I am, I work with them on a daily basis.
I highlighted the speech provided by Andrea Zopp and shared figures that she shared. The focus of the speech, and article if you can see past your own bias, is the need for school funding reform. It’s more than a black or white thing – it’s about equity for all children and families.
Lastly, the dictionary defines racism as “a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one’s own race is superior and has the right to rule others.” I’m white; the definition lends that I would feel those of my skin color were superior – you’re saying that because I highlighted black and brown children that I’m racist against white people? Ridiculous – AND, you’d lose your money, my friend.
Kris: Your words are not matching your actions. But for the sake of argument we will say your not a racist. Maybe just blinded by the media that created the diversity issue in the first place. Next time put in your article that more whites than any other race are in poverty.
You are still catering to the black’s and latino’s, like they are the only people out there. In my hood Asians are the pre dominate race at Kishwaukee school. But you mention nothing of them as well.
So quit trying to convince everyone that total equality is even attainable. Because in order to lift one person up, you must let another down. That’s the only way it works. And when you preach equality, you teach that there is in equality somewhere. And it is assumed that whites are to blame as always.
God forbid you blame CICS who has at least a 90% black student body. And gets a lot of funding that was taken from my kids. They closed Jackson and several other schools for funding reasons. And now they bus kids to CICS and give the school several millions.
That my friend is racism, if you think so or not.
Gowader – What part of the blog didn’t you read or understand? Are you saying you agree with paying 2.8 times more annually to take care of a prisoner than on a student (regardless of color by the way)? Are you saying that because one lives in a nice neighborhood, they deserved a better education at a PUBLIC school?
It disgusts me to think that prisoners have it better than our students. That they get 3 meals a day, a warm bed, workout equipment and much more while some of our students struggle to get one or two meals a day.
Did you take the time to go the luncheon yesterday? Did you read the links posted on the blog? I’m guessing not. All the more reason why education should be our priority. Read the facts, understand what “racism” is and then form an educated statement based on fact and maybe you could be part of the solution and not the problem.
Gary: What part of my blog don’t ‘you’ understand. All you are doing is robbing Peter to pay Paul. Your taking funds from one community and giving it to another. That is what I am talking about. Say it’s not racism all you want, but it is what it is.
Come up with an idea that creates funds for everyone equally, and I might buy into what ever it is your trying to do. But until you can explain what CICS is doing, you are part of the problem not me. I’m just a parent and taxpayer who is tired of seeing everybody fight for something that is not even theirs.
Kris: Your tactics are in fact racist. You area self appointed messiah of the people you know
nothing about. So quit making statements you can’t backup with legitimate arguments.
And you are in fact a sexist as well. How dare you just empower women and young girls and call it equality. You are such a fraud. Why not empower everyone including men and boys.
True equality comes from the church that lifts everyone in the congregation up to a higher standard. And this is what it is all about. You are just a rip off of the real deal.
Gowader, you have anger issues and I don’t argue with people who cowardly throw rocks and then hide behind a screen name. Have a good day, my friend.