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Politics : Politics for Pros- moderated -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (46901)	5/25/2004 3:01:02 PM
From: michael97123	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793954

I was fooling with you john. Who would make the best President right now in your opinion. Mike

To: JohnM who wrote (46901)	5/25/2004 3:06:39 PM
From: LindyBill	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 793954

It must be pretty bad when even the minority ministers will go against the party leaders. School choice for N.J. students It is the only way a good public education can be available to all, a group of ministers believes. By Tom Bell Associated Press TRENTON - Saying many minority students in New Jersey go to substandard schools, a coalition of black and Hispanic clergy yesterday called on lawmakers to implement school choice statewide. "Next month, thousands of urban and minority children will walk across platforms and receive diplomas which cruelly mislead them into believing that the quality of their education is as good as their peers in other schools around the state," said the Rev. Reginald Jackson, executive director of the Black Ministers Council of New Jersey. The ministers want Gov. McGreevey and the Legislature to take action that would allow parents to send their children to any public school in the state, no matter what district they live in. Despite years of effort and the spending of billions of dollars, most urban schools in the state do not meet state standards and most of their students do not receive a quality education, Jackson said. He said that one of the main reasons for the problem of inequality in education in New Jersey is housing segregation, a situation he said state leaders have ignored. "Policies have made urban areas centers of concentrated poverty with little tax base, contributing to the inability to pay salaries commensurate with other suburban and rural districts around the state," Jackson said. "As a result, these urban districts do not have the best teachers that other districts have." The ministers acknowledged that the issue of school choice has often been pushed by politically conservative groups, but they said the decision to back the idea was made independently. Their plan centers on allowing money raised by taxes for schools to follow a student. If a student stays in the district where he lives, the money stays there, but if he goes elsewhere, the funding would be given to that school. Jackson said the plan would empower parents and force schools to improve or face closure. Lynn Maher, director of communications for the New Jersey Education Association, said the teachers union supports the concept of school choice. She said that some less radical solutions to improve education in poorer districts include setting smaller class size requirements, implementing development programs, and working with families so that parents get more involved with schools. "We certainly agree with Rev. Jackson that every child deserves a great school," Maher said. © 2004 Philadelphia Inquirer and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. philly.com