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For at least two generations now, our woke overlords have been exalting the glories of government and diversity. Just give the government more power and purge straight white men from leadership positions and everything will turn into sunshine and lollipops.
Well, we have dutifully complied with our woke overlords. Government has way more power than it did 40 years ago, and straight white men run considerably fewer institutions than they did 40 years ago. But I don’t see the sunshine and lollipops that our woke overlords promised. Case in point, the Baltimore Public Schools.
Baltimore Public Schools made the news recently because only seven percent of its K-12 students were found to be proficient in math on a state-wide test. Even more shocking was the news that 23 Baltimore schools didn’t have a single student who managed to reach the proficiency level in math.
This shouldn’t be happening, of course. Baltimore Public Schools is doing everything right according to woke overlords—their ever-increasing tax haul is being managed by as few straight white men as possible. Check it out:
Basic District Demographics and Spending
- Number of students: 75,995
- Percent black: 73
- Percent Hispanic: 17
- Percent white: 7
- Cost per pupil: $18,876 (25 percent more than the state average of $15,105)
- Pupil-to-teacher ratio: 14.2
- Median teacher salary: $73,592 (36 percent more than the city’s median household income of $54,124)
Leadership
The mayor of Baltimore is Brandon M. Scott. On his bio page, it states that he was instrumental in getting the Baltimore City Council to pass an equity law in 2018. This law, when fully implemented, will require all city agencies “to operate through a lens of equity” and will require that all operating budgets, capital budgets, and proposed legislation “be weighed through an equity lens.”
City Schools CEO is Dr. Sonja Santelises. Her total compensation in 2022 came to $445,875. On her bio page, she has the following quote:
“The real challenge is ours — as educators — to hold ourselves and our students accountable for their achievement.“
And here’s the Board of Commissioners:
 | Board Chair Johnette A. Richardson is also the Deputy Director for Neighborhood Housing Services of Baltimore. Charity Navigator gives NHSB a four-star rating. Her NHSB salary is a relatively modest $108,150. |
 | Board Vice Chair Ronald S. McFadden is an “advocate for educational equity in America’s urban communities.” He also appears to be a very accomplished musician. |
 | Commissioner Dr. Durryle Brooks, Ph.D., is an “early career interdisciplinary researcher and a social justice practitioner.” His research over the past 15 years has centered on how “systemic oppression” has affected “the holistic health” of black and LGBT communities. |
 | Commissioner Linda M. Chinnia has been an educator, in a variety of capacities, for 38 years now. She is also a member of the Delaware-Maryland Synod Coordinating Committee for the Lutheran Campus Ministry and the Racial Justice Ministry Team. |
 | Commissioner Andrew Coy is a “driven problem-solver with experience at the intersection of nonprofit, government, and technology.” |
 | Commissioner Ateira Griffin appears to be a black supremacist. Among other red flags, she believes in “the power of a black woman’s voice,” co-hosts a podcast dedicated to “women of color,” and has started an organization–Blackenomics Collective–that aims to advance “black economic power.” |
 | Commissioner Vernon A. Reid is a retired investment professional who worked 30 years at T. Rowe Price Associates. He currently serves on the boards of the Enoch Pratt Free Library, the Baltimore Educational Scholarship Trust (BEST), and the Impact Investing Subcommittee of the Baltimore Community Foundation. |
 | Commissioner Shantell L. Roberts is “a social entrepreneur” and an “advocate for maternal and child health.” |
 | Commissioner Robert Salley has “an unwavering commitment to improving outcomes for students and uplifting communities.” He’s also concerned with preserving native language, upholding tribal sovereignty, and making sure historically black colleges and universities remain vital. |
 | Commissioner-Elect Kwame’ Jamal Kenyatta-Bey has been an educator with Baltimore City Public Schools for nearly three decades now. “His boots-on-the-ground expertise brings wisdom that can only be garnered with time on the front line.” |
 | Student Commissioner Quinn Katz-Zogby is a senior at Baltimore School for the Arts. His preferred pronouns are he/him. |
Is the Real Problem Wokeism Rather Than “Systemic Racism”?
Now, to be fair to our woke overlords and the leadership of Baltimore’s public schools, it’s important to point out that a good percentage of the teachers in Baltimore’s public schools are still white. According to a 2019 report, only 45 percent of Baltimore’s teachers are black. This means that many students of color have no choice but to deal with white teachers. And we all know how the unconscious biases of white teachers adversely affect the educational advancement of students of color. Perhaps Baltimore’s public schools are just too white on the teacher front to blossom academically.
Maybe. That’s exactly what our woke overlords will claim. But if white teachers were categorically bad, and black teachers categorically good, wouldn’t more than seven percent of Baltimore’s students be proficient in math? After all, 45 percent of Baltimore’s students of color presumably have a black teacher. Shouldn’t the percentage of students proficient in math be closer to 45 rather than zero?
You can’t serve two masters. Our schools can either be citadels of self-reliance—where students are taught how to think for themselves and how to successfully manage their health, careers, and relationships—or our schools can be ministries of dependency—where students are taught what to think, who to vote for, and how to blame other people for their failures. And like so many school districts in America, Baltimore is trying to do both—and failing miserably when it comes to preparing its students for self-reliance in adulthood.
Final Thoughts
Baltimore Public Schools is the epitome of glorious ineptitude. It’s got the right people in charge spouting the right narrative with the right conviction. But it sucks at education—if you consider education teaching children how to be competent in math and English rather than oppression studies.
And the truly sad part is that nothing will change. Our woke overlords are too enthralled with their intellect and virtue to ever question their beloved ideology. If education sucks, it only sucks because we haven’t given the government enough power and we haven’t shed enough “whiteness” from our schools.
Okay, groovy freedomist, that’s all I got. What say you? I say our woke overlords are the worst elites in the history of mankind. They have the answer to everything—especially during the election season—but the solution to nothing. Do you agree? Or am I missing something? Let me know what you think when you get a chance. Peace.
I think the issue needs to start with teacher accountability. If teachers are told that they are expected to produce kids that can pass these exams, they will expect more from the kids and teach accordingly. I know teaching is tough but there is simply no excuse for so many schools to have no kids passing these tests. A good teacher should be able to get at least some of their students u to the level needed. Who is holding those teachers and administrators accountable for their failure here? Parents need to be held accountable for making sure their kids are prepared to learn, show up for school and do all of the assignments. They need to be spending time with their kids, asking about their day’s lessons, making sure any needed work is done and that they are well rested for the next day. Last, kids need to be held accountable for putting the work in so that they can succeed. Kids react more positively to rewards for success but they also respond when they lose privileges. For example, kids shouldn’t be allowed to participate in extracurricular activities if they aren’t doing their work and then failing classes. Struggling students should be provided with extra help so that they can catch up. Last, we need to go back to separating kids by ability so teachers aren’t forced to teach to the lowest denominator and have to deal with discipline problem kids and certain disabilities that would be better addressed in separate classrooms. I’m all for integrating classrooms as long as some kids don’t create disruptions that affect other kids. Oh, and by the way I find it a particularly racist attitude to say black kids can only learn with black teachers. Sure, kids need to see positive role models that look like them but they can also have positive role models who are different if they aren’t taught otherwise.
Hey, Pat. Great comment. Accountability is the secret sauce to so much in life. And here’s how it should play out in education:
Teachers
Teach math. Don’t teach to the math test. If you’re teaching, say, algebra, teach it cumulatively. Previous concepts should always be included in tests on current concepts. This way, kids won’t forget what they learned earlier in the school year.
Administrators
You have a duty to make things as easy as possible for teachers, parents, and students. Remove troublemakers from the classroom with extreme prejudice. Stop testing everything. Just test the foundational skills kids need in life–math and English. And stop all the homework nonsense. You have kids for six hours a day. Why not have a math lab after every math class? This way you’re assured that kids wrestle with math problems every day.
Parents
Stop having kids out of wedlock. I know women are strong and independent and don’t need men. But if they want their kids to grow into competent adults who are self-reliant and civil toward others, they need men. Screw modernity, embrace marriage.
Kids
The world doesn’t owe you anything, and you’re not special. It’s your job to acquire the constructive skills that your fellow man needs or wants. And if you don’t acquire any constructive skills, it’s no one’s fault but your own why you’ll go through life miserable and broke.
Finally, you are so right about the notion that black kids can only learn from black teachers. It’s racist as hell. Imagine if white parents demanded that only white teachers could teach their kids.
Thanks for stopping by, Pat. Hope is well on your end. Cheers.
Could it be that a school system that is 90% black and Hispanic may not be as smart as we would like them to be?? Or are we going to use the old excuse that “they don’t test as well as white students “
It’s entirely possible. And if our schools were allowed to use IQ tests, the slow wouldn’t be forced to tackle cognitive tasks they have little hope of mastering. Only about 15 percent of the population has the cognitive chops to handle real college-level work. I know I wasn’t college material. Instead of going to college and studying sociology, I would have been much better off learning a trade. The politically correct notion that every child is college material is going to be the death of America. Thanks for stopping by, my friend. Cheers.
Well said- thank you
Thank you, Sherri. I’m financially independent, and I was canceled a long time ago by my “friends” in the FIRE community. I’m also not a scum-sucking politician trying to lie my way into office. So I can speak truth to power and challenge woke dogma. All I have to worry about is mean tweets and comments being hurled my way, and I can handle that. Cheers.