Everybody is for progress but nobody ever seems to want to change.
Schools around Clarksdale and across Coahoma County are quick to call when they have a new program, activity or offering for their students – and we never want that to stop.
This community wants to see the new and improved school tools that our school districts are using to educate our children for college and career.
But that desire for innovation and adapting to a changing world seems to stop when it comes to adults leading these districts.
The “C” word!
Your Clarksdale Press Register has watched for several months as Coahoma County School District and Clarksdale Municipal School District have grappled with new state and federal funding sources. We’ve watched Clarksdale Municipal School District wrestle with salary increases for teachers and staff while students fail in the classroom. We’ve seen them fire a superintendent who was trying to make changes. We’ve seen census numbers that show we don’t have the student numbers necessary to obtain state and federal funding, so we keep tired, lazy, failing teachers in the classroom.
Education is too important for this community to get mired down in providing something close to a government jobs program for people who can’t seem to get the job done.
Maybe it is time we talk consolidation. Maybe it is time we combine our schools and resources and give our children a better education.
Mississippi public school consolidation is a complicated matter. Many systems are forced into it because of “failing” schools that the state takes over. Some do it for financial reasons in a poor state with limited resources. Other issues also arise when school consolidation is considered, like community pride.
The elephant in the room
The Mississippi Legislature is faced almost annually with a “school consolidation” proposal. Lawmakers don’t relish making the decision because they’d rather local people make the decision on local controversies. Strong allegiances and traditions exist for particular schools or systems (see athletics), and citizens often join and block such efforts.
Clarksdale and Coahoma County have seen population decline and school taxes rise over the past 10 years. That is a formula for economic disaster.
Our schools have earned failing grades, our students are getting failing grades and Clarksdale and Coahoma County children are suffering for it.
And let’s not blame it on our students. It is teachers, administrators and school board trustees who have failed.
We urge the people who really care about educating children to consider consolidation. We urge the movers and shakers in the community to seriously consider what consolidation might bring to our community.
We urge our school leaders to embrace this dramatic change or give us a good reason not to consolidate.
Failing schools are the elephant in the room in this community. We must find new ways -- frugal ways -- to address our failing school systems.
Our economy and our community won’t get better until we do something about “OUR” failing schools.
It’s not about adults and jobs. It’s about children – our children – and the future of Clarksdale and Coahoma County.
So we will ask once again the question we started this column with. Do we really want progress? Do we really want anything to change?
Floyd Ingram is Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He is a proud product of Mississippi public education and knows Clarksdale and Coahoma County want to do better. Call him at 662-627-2201 if you want better schools.
