Black students in the Monroe City School system are failing miserably, but there is little movement by the school board to make the drastic changes necessary to address the problem.
Rep. Pat Moore is trying to use her considerable energy and influence to get the board to take action, even if it means dragging the proverbial horse to the water trough and forcing it to drink.
State Department of Education data released last year showed that, on average, MCS Black students are academically trailing white students, regardless of the school they attend.
Fewer Black students are eligible to attend four-year colleges after graduating because the average ACT score of Black students is 15, but white students average 21.
Educators say the problem stems from poor reading skills, a deficiency that develops in preschool years.
Since most poor children don’t have early childhood education opportunities for one to three-year-olds and Head Start cut its student population to just over 400 for the entire parish with no transportation provided, the result is a large number of black students entering the first grade roughly three years behind.
Rep. Moore is on the warpath; she’s trying to get the school board to take action to provide basically cradle-to-first-grade instruction for poor children.
The board could create an early childhood school itself, but it would need to bite the bullet and foot the bill since the state won’t underwrite the cost. Since the board is reluctant, Rep. Moore says the public may have to help foot the bill.
So Rep. Moore has introduced a bill in the legislature to allow the board to call for a property tax of up to five mills dedicated to early education. It could provide up to $2 million annually toward the cost.
She’s meeting with everyone who will listen to her to “Save the Children.” She says those who know a better way should take over and get busy.
Rep. Moore is trying to do the board’s work for them, calling for feasibility studies, laying the groundwork for self-funding, identifying a possible location, and much more.
Those who know Rep. Moore also know that she won’t give up and won’t take no for answer.
If the school board is the horse, then Pat Moore is dragging the horse to water.
Unfortunately, will all of Rep. Moore’s influence, even she may not be able to that horse to drink.
