What else are we to conclude after reading yesterday’s opening, loaded paragraph written by Ericka Mellon?
Some residents of an upscale subdivision are trying to take advantage of a little-known provision in state law to get out of the increasingly diverse Spring school district and join the more-affluent and higher-performing Klein system.
That’s not objective journalism; that’s Ericka Mellon’s personal interpretation of what Northgate Forest petitioners are attempting to do. None of the stories I have read on this issue have included residents saying they want out of Spring ISD because of the district’s “increasing diversity.” The issue is better education for two main reasons: for their children, and for their property values.
However, you won’t find the above paragraph in the Chron‘s story anymore. The link to yesterday’s story which included that doozy of a paragraph has been modified to reflect Spring ISD’s rejection of the residents’ request:
Homeowners in a posh Spring subdivision have lost round one of their battle to join the wealthier, better-performing Klein Independent School District.
The Spring school board today unanimously rejected a petition signed by 190 Northgate Forest residents to separate the area from the predominantly minority district and be annexed to Klein ISD.
“Better-performing” is more in line with what Northgate Forest residents are seeking, and Spring ISD knows it can’t afford to give up those homes:
The assessed value of the relatively small subdivision — $92.5 million, about 1 percent of the district’s tax base — was too much for the district to lose, especially considering that only seven students from Northgate are currently enrolled in Spring schools, according to the district.
So Northgate Forest residents will most likely continue to be forced to hand over their tax dollars to an underperforming district, while most send their children to private schools, a fact that was noted in a previous Chronicle story. I’d look for the link but the Chron‘s archives suck and I don’t have the energy to waste on that effort. However, today’s modified story hints at it:
But for Northgate resident Miriam Witt and her husband, Marcos, a Latin Grammy winner, the petition offered a chance at better schools for their children. They have opted for the private Northland Christian school and a homeschooling program.
”I’m not against supporting a particular school district,” she said, ”but I would personally like to be able to choose where our children go to school.”
Progressive journalists and other public education utopians can wring their hands all they like over what they think is racist behavior by folks who don’t want their tax dollars funding poorly-performing schools, but the fact is many public policies have led to this problem. Unfettered illegal immigration combined with a lack of parental responsibility in some communities has led to dumbed-down standards and curriculum in many public school districts.
And folks are getting tired of being forced to pay for schools that continue to underperform.
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