Oak it looks like we ended up agreeing in the end.
I have no problm with choices people make. Go to private school,
move to a good public district, etc. I support all of it. I do have
a problem with government screwing things up by injecting themselves
into it, which is what wrecked APHS - not parental choices.
When buying a house, I absolutely avoided Asbury Park and the
sending district because the High School is now segregated. I know
that many, many other people did the same.
That wasn't the case before the RBR ruling. I went to APHS with the
sons of doctors, lawyers and millinaire businessmen. Yes, having
that demographic was helpful to the poorer kids. That's gone thanks
to the ruling.
Look at real estate listings. Many of them list private schools on
the listing so as not to list APHS. I laugh and cry everytime I see
it.
Since Avon no longer goes to APHS, their real estate has
skyrocketed, now topping $1 Million on the MEDIAN house sale, and
holding steady in this downturn.
Everything changed when the Commissioner ruled that RBR having a
better music program than Asbury Park is more important than whether
a black kid goes to a segregated school. Read the decision that
Mario linked. That was the ruling. It's the most bigoted, racist
piece of government work I've seen in my lifetime, and it is
shamelessly ignored.
It's ignored because those with the political power in the area
benefit from the ruling (like Avon); those without the power suffer
from it (Asbury).
Just imagine the classic busing issue: If a primarily white school
in the area was suddenly going to be filled with poor black kids
from Asbury, people would go berserk. There would be all sorts of
lawsuits to stop it, with claims of government interference, social
engineering, and claims that the school's natural demographic should
be preserved.
That ruling by the Commissioner is exactly the same thing with the
colors reversed. The NATURAL DEMOGRAPHIC of APHS was racially and
economically diversified, just as Ocean Township is now. The ruling
destroyed that by busing the white kids past Asbury Park to another
public school in Little Silver.
Who is going to file the the Federal Civil Rights lawsuit claiming
de facto segregation (can anyone claim that wasn't the result of the
ruling with a straight face)? Are the white parents who are
avoiding APHS going to do it? No. The poor black parents? I don't
think so. AP Board of Ed? No, too busy gossiping and in fighting
to tackle something so serious and important.
If APHS was naturally segregated by race, you wouldn't hear a peep
out of me. Since it is racially segregateed by the government with
busing to another public school, I'm confident my objection is on
the moral high ground, even if I stand alone.
Standing alone though, I'm starting to feel like I don't care
anymore either.
The state can keep the school segregated, Asbury Park Board of Ed
(Bored of Ed?) can keep taking the Abbott "hush money" and not
challenge the segregation ruling, and none of it is going to hurt me.
So why should I care?
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "oakdorf" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> TD,
>
> You and I can both stop, take residence in AP, and stick our kids
> there. but we haven't.
>
> I'd take a gamble on those beers that Deal, Allenhurst, Belmar have
> LESS HS age kids eligible to go to AP. Then you have determine why
> those parents CHOOSE to send their kids to a private school,
parochial
> school or to a county speciality school. IT's choice. You and I
have
> made it as well, by choosing to live in towns other then AP with a
> schools that are well diversified in race and incomes - that
being
> Howell and OT. OT and Howell are not the same as in 1996 nor in are
> they in our era of the late 70's either. In '75 my class (8th
grade)
> had 3 african american students - and I can name them. In '79 I
could
> still name a few more african american students. And I;m saying I
can
> name them as a good thing casue we were all friends. I can say
today
> the make-up of the the student body, at least in OT, is about as
> diversified as it can be on all levels - race, incomes, family
status etc.
>
> As such, in my view, the teaching methods have changed
dramatically.
>
> I wish I could convince my son to go to CBA, and I'd be willing to
> pay. It's school. Not a playground. They'll kick your ass out as
fast
> as they cashed your check.
>
> As for qualifying to go to a speciality school, you shouldnt have
to.
>
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AsburyPark/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
