New National Report Critical of School Secession in Alabama

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2017/06/Fractured_Screen_Shot_.png
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1161;s:6:"height";i:639;s:4:"file";s:34:"2017/06/Fractured_Screen_Shot_.png";s:5:"sizes";a:12:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-336x185.png";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:185;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-771x424.png";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:424;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-140x140.png";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-768x423.png";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:423;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:32:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-80x80.png";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-600x338.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-565x311.png";s:5:"width";i:565;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-470x259.png";s:5:"width";i:470;s:6:"height";i:259;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-600x400.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-600x600.png";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:34:"Fractured_Screen_Shot_-125x125.png";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:9:"image/png";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => EdBuild
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

)
1657783489 
1498003265

A report out Wednesday says Alabama is at the forefront of a trend: school systems breaking away to form separate districts. According to the report from the national advocacy group EdBuild, almost a quarter of the nation’s school district breakaways since 2000 have happened in Alabama. Lead author Rebecca Sibilia tells WBHM’s Dan Carsen the work started with a nationwide survey of school secession laws.

Why it’s Happening, and Why EdBuild Calls it “Alarming”

“What we found was startling in that most states do not require any consideration of what’s happening with the children that are being left behind … Our school funding system is creating gulfs. The students who are being left behind tend to be left behind in impoverished, denser, poorer districts. [And] whenever you’re breaking apart a larger, logically functioning municipality, you end up in a place where you start duplicating and tripling the costs associated with providing education, and frankly, just further burdening the taxpayers in order to create this notion of local control … Communities are being provided the incentive to break away from larger municipalities because they get to keep their wealth. You can’t blame communities for trying to do so — they’re always going to want to provide for their kids. This is a school-funding system and a set of laws that are providing the incentive and allowing that to occur.”

Race, but Not Just Race

“We don’t want to necessarily say that this is race-motivated, certainly not in all cases, but we do believe it’s socioeconomically motivated, and unfortunately that’s also linked to race in our country.”

And in Gardendale?

“The judge did find that there were some racially segregating motives behind the Gardendale effort. One of the things that was striking to us, though, is that the City of Gardendale was saying, ‘Look there are so many other neighborhoods that have seceded under this existing desegregation order. Why can’t we?”

Solutions

“The real and ultimate solution here is to reduce the incentive to [secede] by changing the way we’re funding schools, and to go back to the Supreme Court and argue that school district borders should not be the means by which we can continue to segregate our children.”

To see the EdBuild report, click here. To hear an extended conversation with lead author Rebecca Sibilia, click below:

national-map_wlegend-01

 

Hungary’s oldest library is fighting to save 100,000 books from a beetle infestation

Restoration workers are removing about 100,000 handbound books from their shelves and carefully placing them in crates, the start of a disinfection process that aims to kill the tiny beetles.

A military exercise drawing together 19 nations and 35,000 forces begins in Australia

The largest-ever war fighting drills in Australia is underway and expected to attract China's attention. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a joint exercise between the U.S. and Australia.

Trump marks anniversary of assassination attempt at the FIFA Club World Cup final

The president joined the players on the field after the match to present PSG players with their runner-up medals and hand Chelsea their championship trophy.

Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures

A park official said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost.

Jannik Sinner wins Wimbledon, Italy’s first singles champion

Italy's Jannik Sinner defeated defending champion Carlos Alcaraz to win his first Wimbledon title. Sinner is the first Italian to win the tournament.

Senate committee details failures by Secret Service in preventing Trump shooting

The Senate Homeland Security Committee said the Secret Service's "lack of structured communication was likely the greatest contributor to the failures" at the Pennsylvania rally last summer.

More Education Coverage