By Daniel Pryzbyla

Posters of the legendary African proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" frequently adorn hallways in central city schools, but not at their city halls.

Although "village" in the proverb now has expanded borders, its implication remains. Modern day marketplace prophets in cities leave no stone unturned; even very old proverbs. For these bulldozing prophets of "change" and any of its misgivings, it's easier to heap increased poverty upon the shoulders of public education and its so-called "failing schools." When capitalist merchants and industries abandon cities for greater profits elsewhere - whether in nearby environs, out of state or even in other countries, the ensuing loss of jobs and tax revenue fallout in the  "village" soon become education's burden. After the national economic transition from a "manufacturing economy" to a "service economy" in the mid-1970s, the resultant socioeconomic transitions outside a city's public school classrooms were also left for education and teachers to resolve, leaving the marketplace harmless and blameless. "It takes a village to raise a child" began suffering bankruptcy too.

In Milwaukee, this planned national "service economy," replaced over 100,000 living-wage union jobs, including health benefits and retirement plans. That's a lot of circulating bucks withdrawn from the city's metropolitan arena. Those already on the lower rungs of the economic ladder suffered the most from the nation's resulting dislocation and relocation in the new "service economy" market place strategy.

Disparities of socioeconomic conditions are and always have been most visible within metropolitan areas because traditionally they still attract the most diverse populations seeking various employment, both skilled, professional and less skilled. Generally, there are also more housing options, including size and affordability. Its centerpiece is a city, some larger than others - each forever expanding and contracting depending on regional development. In turn, these shifts have affects on their populations, some more than others. Expansion provides more employment and opportunities, whereas contraction proves the opposite. Directly or indirectly however - individuals, parents, families, neighbors and schools are affected. All see and feel the proverb's significance, "It takes a village to raise a child."

Urban sprawl created light industry and manufacturing outside many cities, but restricted housing and public transportation to these new employment opportunities. In addition, these areas outside most cities were already predominantly white, unofficially coded by local politics, realtors and moneylenders to remain so. The so-called competitive market place is not without its racial and other socioeconomic blinders when building subdivisions of $350,000 homes. In California's Silicon Valley, a public school teacher with 20 years experience and a Masters degree might teach there, but still can't afford to live there. Their school walls might not don posters of the African proverb either, but its message still holds true.

Because of their size, large cities also have a variety of "villages" within their boundaries, but not all socio-economically equal either. Whereas many villages, towns and suburbs can be seen as independent socioeconomic fabrics, cities remain socioeconomic quilts instead. For the most part, both entities have remained equal in their unequal stages of development and redevelopment. In cities, these socioeconomic quilts also expand and retract. Meanwhile, public schools throughout cities and states remain equal within federal law, but remain disparate socio-economically within marketplace practice. While President Bush is taking another leisurely vacation on his Texas ranch from a hard day at the office, tenants down the block are having their household belongings tossed outside the apartment because of a sheriff's eviction notice. "Anybody know where I can find a job?"

President Bush and his No Child Left Behind education act's voucher cohorts can't solve their real market place "failures," so instead their goal is to defuse that anomaly by dismantling alleged "failing" public schools to help create a new private charter school marketplace. To accomplish this feat, NCLB demands horrific high-stakes testing accountability measures aimed specifically at distraught Title 1 impoverished "failing" city public schools to implement their private charter school agenda. It's called, "Follow the money," but they won't admit that.

Equally significant, charter schools will be exempt from many of NCLB's ruthless high-stakes testing punishments and sanctions, depending on the wrath of each state's "Them versus Us" charter school statutes.

Milwaukee public school district's "non-instrumentality" charter school 5-year contracts are off the state's NCLB accountability radar screen, including high-stakes tests. Just send them the taxpayers' dollars imprinted with "In God We Trust." What more "accountability" is needed? TransCenter for Youth, Inc., a stealth pro-voucher organization, received still another non-instrumentality charter for its CITIES (Communities Implementing Transformations in Education and Society) project high school. MPS will spend $469,326 to ensure one of its now vacant schools is ready for CITIES fall enrollment. None of the school board members even bothered to ask what the school's "transformations in education and society" meant. Anybody want to guess?  

A recent Florida newspaper headline read, "Poverty takes toll on school performance." If U.S. Secretary of Education Roderick Paige read the headline, he would be kicking a hole through the wall - even if wearing his expensive, fashionable cowboy boots. But the sub-headline in the August 9, 2004 Orlando Sentinel soothed his senses. "Orange students start school today amid the state theme of 'No Excuses.'" Rod smiled and relaxed. He knew Governor Jeb Bush (the president's brother, by the way) was holding firm. "Many of them will be from poor families," wrote reporter Leslie Postal. "And many will struggle with their lessons. At low-performing schools, poverty is king." Rod's frustration resurfaced. "Educators and politicians are quick to say that poverty is no excuse for poor school performance," continued Postal, "but researchers say it often has a predictable and debilitating impact on students." She then quoted Virginia education professor Gerald Bracey. "It's not an excuse. It's a condition, like gravity. Gravity affects everything you do on this planet, and so does poverty."

Likewise, so does wealth. Search the landscape and you won't find a Title 1 public school district in a wealthy community, including the wealthy Fox Point village just north of the city of Milwaukee. Their public school district agendas are quite different. The July 29, 2004 MPS agenda included the approval of funding "new contracts for 21 st Century Community Learning Centers (CLC)," first initiated in 1998. These 41 "centers" are located at various public schools throughout the city and are affiliated with other community organizations to "help strengthen families, reduce crime, and improve neighborhoods." Fourteen centers are operated by the Boys & Girls Club, 7 by Northcott Neighborhood House, and 3 each by YMCA and Opportunities Industrialization Center (OIC). Each of the $100,000 after school contracts is from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. The total $4,100,000 cost comes from 3 separate Department of Public Instruction grants. Bracey is right. "Poverty is not an excuse, it's a condition." Otherwise, the need for this $4.1 million after-school program is moot. If the financial handouts didn't include the likes of YMCA, Secretary Paige would no doubt disapprove these public school programs as "excuses" for poverty too. Naysayers of city public school costs don't even realize these Title 1 NCLB programs exist in a district's overall budget. It also diminishes "It takes a village to raise a child," placing the expense of socioeconomic pitfalls like these solely on public school district budgets instead.  

These enhanced programs coincided with MPS $98 million "Neighborhood School Initiative" earlier in August 2000, provided by the city's bonding authority, but paid from future MPS budgets - $200 million when including interest on the 30-year payment schedule. Fast-track NSI hearings were held for the construction of several new schools and remodeling others, with MPS district now divided into 8 new "school cluster" areas in the city. Omitted from the slick marketing-styled hearings were copies of the NSI financial report, outlining the unequal expenditures in each "cluster." Also kept secret was the former MPS superintendent's clandestine excursion being planned by Milwaukee's charter school warlords to visit the nation's capitol 7 months later on March 14, 2001 to offer MPS as one of the nation's first public "charter school districts." No public hearings were held beforehand, and the shady proposal to Secretary Paige's "subcommittee on education reform" was canned after public outrage.

Aided by the sabotage of the original African proverb - NCLB, Vouchers & Charters, Inc. stay the course of dismantling public schools. "It takes a test to raise a child."