Longtime educator gives an inside view of deplorable conditions and poor
learning environment as city officials prepare to layoff nearly 1000
employees to address budget deficit crisis
this is terrible and Stephen Janis
0:06
reporting for the real news network in
0:07
Baltimore City Maryland the crumbling
0:09
Baltimore City school system faces yet
0:11
another setback school CEO Sonia Sonia
0:14
lisa says the 129 million dollar deficit
0:17
is due to declining enrollment and
0:19
generous future contracts the red ink is
0:21
pumped and cutbacks with layoffs plan
0:23
for over 1,000 employees including
0:25
features but questions about money
0:27
usually land here at North Avenue it's
0:29
the whole of the city school bureaucracy
0:31
with something isn't just bloated but
0:33
wasteful as part of our ongoing
0:34
investigation into the details of how
0:36
the city does and does not work we have
0:39
an exclusive interview with a city
0:40
teacher who peels back the curtain on
0:42
spending and reveals just how bad city
0:44
schools are before the cuts and he also
0:47
offered solutions on how to serve
0:48
teachers and students better we disguise
0:51
his identity in order to protect him
0:52
from retaliation that's even more money
0:54
that were generated by the casinos that
0:56
was supposed to be a lot of to the
0:57
school budget what happened to them
0:59
well as an excellent article by Luke
1:01
water from the Baltimore some point out
1:03
of the 1.7 billion dollars that has been
1:05
taken by casinos of a very little of it
1:06
is gone to fun increases in funding for
1:09
school which is where the money was
1:10
promised which shows the city is always
1:12
in a rock and a hard place we have
1:13
casinos but the the city is actually
1:16
experienced budget cuts since the
1:18
casinos have an open so it has more
1:20
government city you put on top of that
1:21
the tax breaks of the test which
1:23
technically reduce the city's overall
1:25
test value and thus reduce the amount of
1:27
money to the school get some skates
1:29
state based on funny mechanism and the
1:31
school system is actually suffering even
1:33
more now Mary Catherine Pugh just agree
1:35
to the consent decree that she was going
1:37
to a lot of fair amount of money for the
1:39
Baltimore City Police Department
1:40
what does this mean for school well this
1:42
again shows how baltimore continues to
1:45
fund policing but you know schools are
1:46
always secondary I mean the biggest part
1:48
of the city budget goes to police
1:51
fundings about 500 million the fraction
1:54
that 200-something million goes through
1:55
teachers recently the mayor said she was
1:58
a lot of 3 million dollars to hire 100
2:01
more police officers to patrol positions
2:03
meanwhile they're going to cut hundred
2:04
twenty million dollars from from school
2:06
that is not today it's gonna cut is that
2:08
the school has a deficit that they can't
2:09
pay for so it's a school system was fun
2:11
is
2:12
to the police department it wouldn't be
2:13
a budget deficit so clearly we're still
2:16
in that dilemma we're paying more in the
2:17
police and we already teach and now it's
2:19
good to our interview with our
2:20
whistleblower i'm gonna give you a
2:22
typical bigger than the bell will ring
2:23
many kids will come to class will be in
2:26
the hallway supposed to be staff and
2:29
administrative staff to deal with that
2:30
kids are still in the hallway are by
2:33
first second period glory small part i'm
2:37
in my room in the hallway there's no arm
2:41
censorship of anyway which are you know
2:46
what I here all day here
2:48
shit bitch motherfucker nigger all day
2:51
every day and every combination of that
2:53
all they be able to talk to the teacher
2:55
that way to the kids there's no
2:58
consequences for that arm so truth is a
3:01
big problem in and outside of the school
3:03
no discipline no consequences arm and we
3:08
haven't even gotten to academically with
3:10
the kids are so they trusted the I ready
3:12
to ask this year
3:13
ninety-seven percent of the sort of the
3:17
seniors we're reading on a knot on 12
3:21
grade level nineteen percent only three
3:24
percent of the kids reading our 12th
3:25
grade level any average grade level was
3:27
about 50 grade experience but they are
3:30
in all fairness they are over tested i
3:32
think it might play four weeks of
3:34
testing this year so we have these
3:36
testing arm windows which they're
3:39
supposed to carry on his tests but they
3:41
had all the kind of pretest you have in
3:43
every class in the beginning when you
3:45
come in and some teachers can see where
3:47
you are but they have already testing
3:49
can have HSA testing in october they
3:52
have agency testing again in December
3:54
the PARCC testing begin here also they
3:57
have Park testing again in the right
3:59
after the holiday with HSA testing again
4:01
then they have part testing and I
4:04
already testing and PSA testing or
4:06
whatever you just come down the pipeline
4:08
again in the in the end of the year
4:10
which basically destroyed the fort order
4:12
so it's testing testing testing testing
4:15
testing all the time and there's other
4:17
tests to this
4:18
and I just so that's a big problem also
4:21
so how does it how does it limit your
4:23
ability to teach me your ways to do your
4:25
ability to teach what I mean it'sit's
4:27
she first was a huge destruction in your
4:30
day and the kids are in and out of class
4:32
after that lends them be more truly
4:35
cannot be an excuse to wear around some
4:38
more just and I just gave you on the
4:40
reading well if you're all your testing
4:42
is reading comprehension so you know
4:46
that's left time for instruction the
4:47
kids are lacking reading skills that are
4:49
being tested for the reading skills
4:50
which we already know their lack of
4:52
course we know they're not going to
4:54
perform a hub jazz the kids are you know
4:57
and which is unfair and you can't use
4:59
other types of metrics because the state
5:02
of the city as invested in these you
5:05
know these products of princeton review
5:06
and stuff like that you know you call
5:08
this morning from all over the country
5:10
to to give you details
5:13
tell us about the physical environment
5:14
there's about rest rat feces and every
5:17
one arm from like not been taking
5:21
pictures just wouldn't believe the other
5:25
species everywhere so you know if you
5:27
clean your desk or if you come the next
5:28
day will be well species on your desk
5:32
again
5:33
oh I haven't had an open window in my
5:36
room for four years that particular
5:38
school man and I've been beautiful rooms
5:41
are so he probably will be no heat to
5:47
numerous days throughout the year or
5:49
will be blistering hot they were closed
5:50
school
5:51
oh so you're always cold in the
5:55
wintertime and of course the kids will
5:58
perform at all
5:59
no it's not like that there are lots of
6:02
kids truly an unsupervised and a lot of
6:06
our kids are very very challenged or
6:08
even example 2 3rd 4th week of school
6:11
are added come in we've been put out of
6:14
school I find out later a couple years
6:16
before his behavior the first day of my
6:19
class for five weeks into school
6:22
I'm here and she didn't have a uniform
6:24
after have to stop you on below or
6:27
uniform and the first responders are
6:30
fucking shoot you in the face for asking
6:33
for uniform and you know a couple of the
6:36
other kids were walking down the hallway
6:37
and they just kind of student his way
6:39
into my back to mark anything this back
6:42
them up like you don't want to mess with
6:44
that particular teacher said that he
6:46
actually wrote a month administrator got
6:51
him here and on the administration was
6:52
talking to the kids parents and try to
6:55
attack me together in my room mr. have
6:57
to tackle the boy I'm do away with only
7:00
recharging to try to fight me while
7:02
teaching class don't last of going where
7:05
they won't were worried don't seem the
7:08
wii u for me it's like yeah so it's very
7:10
hostile arm there's no line between
7:15
adult student arm they're entering into
7:18
groups are not supposed to be on
7:20
supervised will be in the teachers
7:21
lounge or teachers officer and was
7:24
computer always tell where they're not
7:26
supposed to be so we'll be opening how
7:29
you have those four outlets in offices
7:32
will be like open outlets with the
7:35
wiring sticking out of there's notices
7:38
in the main office about workers were
7:41
coming into work in school
7:42
careful about the lateness bestest but
7:45
if you look around the school there's
7:46
pipes that the wrappings off there's
7:49
holes tiles it's best to stuff the one
7:52
of the administrators offices the floor
7:56
on it was best style that had mold and
7:59
people were starting to have she was
8:01
already having respiratory problems some
8:02
of the other students finding that bad
8:04
up in vegetables we replace that another
8:07
story but in having that suits your the
8:09
proper equipment to bring the best out
8:11
of the air you get the idea of the the
8:14
world i was in my first on 89 years
8:18
teaching of a woman died of cancer that
8:21
we made three or four times the asbestos
8:23
level to the EPA adjusted and I call the
8:26
EPA made the principal very upset i want
8:29
to get tested again
8:30
very high level of specificity so
8:32
teachers and students are being exposed
8:34
to that kind of thing I guess have
8:36
recovered 20 years by come down with
8:38
asbestosis you'll know why write it but
8:40
yeah I mean it's that bad you can't
8:43
drink the water
8:44
you know the go to clean air and water
8:46
act 173 so you've got to be able to look
8:49
left and right in school and water is
8:51
free and readily available
8:53
you'd be lucky if you can find the water
8:55
jugs in our school because you can't
8:57
drink any of the water there are signs
8:59
that you can't drink the water but you
9:00
wash your hands with it and I'm thinking
9:02
you know pretty educated final swallow
9:05
it but I can absorb it through my skin I
9:07
guess that's that's okay to the lake
9:10
water right so there's no water readily
9:12
available because you're constantly
9:13
looking for water thirsty you get there
9:16
the custom be going there's no water in
9:18
the jug jug humidity place to go search
9:21
for water and of course that runs into
9:23
do you have a pass your class too much
9:25
is going to get distracted with other
9:28
kids in the hallway cause other
9:30
encounters that we have people to cover
9:32
all the hallways but always are clear
9:36
we have plenty of extra administrators
9:38
are not allowed to discipline anybody
9:41
has been literally get permission for
9:43
the avenue to do anything posted
9:46
suspension or anything like that they
9:48
can even had in-school suspension that
9:50
only can be up to 45 minutes because
9:52
you're keeping a child from adventure
9:54
education as they don't want black boys
9:58
do have or minorities in general
10:01
especially black nails to have
10:02
hydrangeas suspension official report
10:05
last week had black kids are suspended
10:08
for five times as much as what
10:10
so of course to keep this down is
10:11
whether we put all the violence in
10:13
schools we don't want to be known as
10:14
dangerous schools and Michael dangerous
10:16
city in the world you would think that
10:19
your common sense will tell you people
10:21
supposed to be rough know what is it
10:23
right now at this point you think that's
10:25
critical about what was going on
10:27
specific
10:28
really grateful that people need to know
10:29
they don't know i think that they need
10:31
to understand all systems are down
10:34
there's this huge amount of graft and
10:35
corruption of the kids are being
10:38
neglected to civil rights being charged
10:40
upon teachers staff are very stressful
10:44
hostile environment are there is no
10:49
discipline the code of conduct is a
10:52
travesty are the balls not enforce
10:56
people are not safe
10:58
I mean I could go on and on and on it's
10:59
just in and I wish it was just one
11:01
school you close out but it's the whole
11:04
system the whole system is that way and
11:07
you can pick up any random teacher and
11:10
bring them in here and they were
11:12
comfortable sharing with you they would
11:14
say the same things i'm saying so I'm
11:16
not special in that regard at all
11:18
yeah you said that you were saved by
11:21
school in some way or did Emmett area
11:22
can you tell me that well no I was
11:25
younger I was in the system you work and
11:28
I couldn't read in like a lot of these
11:32
kids I was tested very lofty was
11:34
reported at one point above retarded
11:37
especially the I cheat a straight which
11:40
that we start now
11:41
oh that's exactly read so that people
11:45
can hear will act out in some way
11:47
because you're she's seeing some
11:48
terrible home and make them special and
11:51
was kind of what was happening with me
11:53
are their locations woefully deficient
11:55
blah blah blah but they worked with me
11:59
on my reading and i went from either not
12:02
being read to
12:03
I think the first book i completed the
12:05
Shogun just like you know 10 inches
12:08
taking the pen creek so that it doesn't
12:10
excited and they and they worked with
12:12
you right so I was a kid that was kind
12:15
of part of the street been displaced you
12:18
know and and public school had activity
12:21
that was there from every morning simply
12:24
12 hours a day
12:25
by the time I got done with
12:26
extracurriculars and sports so I might
12:29
have going to soccer practice and then
12:31
I'm but it has been evening
12:34
so it kept me busy so where the
12:37
consequences this stuff isn't addressed
12:39
with last year this time the consequence
12:43
was the city bird you can't
12:45
disenfranchised people that you know the
12:48
kids might be woefully deficient
12:49
academically but they're not stupid they
12:53
can see what's going on and I think
12:54
you're going to see more what you saw
12:56
last year with the right you have people
12:57
who are are they want to do well we know
13:02
what the dead end I mean for years like
13:04
it you're telling me I'm not gonna make
13:05
it past 15 they don't have the skill
13:07
sets are they already have their own
13:11
issues you know obviously the the home
13:14
is just broken up in this country that
13:16
was coming up you know single-parent
13:18
families were the more the exception of
13:21
the North now the opposite the kids both
13:23
pair they don't tell anybody it's almost
13:26
like a stigma they have your parents for
13:29
people in your family that loves you you
13:31
know that you're taking care of because
13:33
everybody's got to be miserable your
13:34
misery loves company is coming that's
13:36
kind of the attitude buy less stuff so
13:38
I'm gonna make sure everybody around
13:39
means life is messed up
13:41
oh so I think that we created this
13:43
underclass of the majority of the
13:46
population remember any % e welfare
13:49
white people with long way people not
13:51
just a minority thing administration is
13:53
there to support us not to you know
13:56
people were shorter like big brother and
13:59
try to determine if you misstep in some
14:00
way and try to you know the weed out
14:03
those are the consequences of teachers
14:04
being terrible blame kill the society of
14:07
our failure
14:08
yeah I make the economist semester
14:09
making a kid just for from September to
14:13
December the in january i'm at this
14:15
measure class and somehow when they get
14:17
to me like that went great
14:19
it's my fault but your own life right so
14:23
it's like it's you know i'm going to see
14:25
the kids because mainly because you
14:26
truly somebody very few encounters with
14:29
kids somehow I'm responsible for
14:31
everything that occurred this kid's life
14:33
in every action that is happened
14:35
I think that you know you get into these
14:36
situations where the administrators are
14:39
possibly do not want to make a decision
14:41
to micromanage and so of course the
14:44
pecking order to come down the teachers
14:46
because they are being squeezed they
14:48
can't solve anything and not allowed to
14:51
have solutions any of the talented
14:53
principles under any CEOs get fired the
14:57
moment battle they can't be micromanaged
14:59
so they'll say be creative to all these
15:03
things blah blah blah blah but then when
15:07
they do the fire during you a newsreel
15:10
reporter on CNN
15:12
maybe what you doing at school lets you
15:13
know teachers do require the kids will
15:16
come out of juvenile detention and
15:18
they'll say school just like jail
15:19
Matthew come to school every day and
15:22
you're wanted every kid in the school
15:25
diabetic and their-their wanted with a
15:28
metal detector everyday their belongings
15:31
are searched and they are basically
15:34
friston wanted every day that we started
15:38
a very their search and wanted to school
15:41
if you're creating these people who are
15:43
ignorant of the world around them like
15:46
the skill sets to work you might think
15:48
about schools not college its work
15:51
preparing interactive citizens to be
15:55
part of the democracy in other words
15:58
they're in charge they need to vote in
16:01
Google jury duty you'd pay taxes don't
16:04
like something to be able to City
16:05
Council petitioner's counsel make your
16:08
voice heard and run for office to
16:09
support the body or right do something
16:11
about the surrounding the neighborhood
16:13
but what happened to the county there's
16:14
no heat
16:15
you're not in school they fix the heat
16:17
you come back to school
16:19
you know that last year when they had
16:21
that big thing about the
16:22
air-conditioning beginning of the year
16:23
we were dying in the world that one week
16:26
he had the mystery heat and dr. Thornton
16:29
who got fired then God are we knew you
16:32
would not last was terrible
16:34
no offense was terrible oh he said
16:37
nothing
16:38
we have a they have a you know just 92
16:40
degrees or 120 degrees by eleven o'clock
16:43
or something close the school just like
16:46
it agrees it's going to be 90 degree
16:48
right so we have no heat but all that
16:51
story came out about the county schools
16:53
without air conditioning unit up work
16:56
not a peep about baltimore city until
16:58
like eight months later old city by the
17:01
way doesn't have that you think about
17:02
the county much viruses you watch all
17:05
the buildings that dilapidated the kids
17:08
were used with the teachers were useless
17:10
if you have the power to make some
17:12
changes you can wave a lot and you could
17:14
actually get the mayor to do something
17:17
for you or you could change something
17:18
north avenue
17:19
what would you want to see change what
17:21
policy with you want to put in place who
17:23
would you want to see in charge so the
17:25
first thing is without discipline you
17:28
have no control
17:29
so if you're not going to force the wall
17:31
back to force the rules you have to make
17:33
sure the school where it's safe
17:35
you can forget me everything you're
17:36
trying to do and so that's the first
17:39
thing the other thing is i would have
17:40
real food spend money keep people in
17:43
their cooking food we know there's a
17:45
direct correlation kids behavior for a
17:47
lot of kids like me well educated that
17:48
was probably the best meal ideas every
17:50
day so these kids are eating well and
17:53
think what they are eating is poisonous
17:55
and toxic you got to change the food are
17:58
you also have to have convinced schools
18:03
like the extensions important social
18:04
work we should be a whole no health
18:07
facility in their school should be able
18:10
to the wider community shouldn't just be
18:11
babysitting kids during the day should
18:14
be adult classes the facility should be
18:15
able to be used by the community should
18:17
be administrative judge in the evening
18:19
that's the morning to make sure that the
18:21
school and people's money they're
18:24
spending this money that they they have
18:26
taken use the pool we can use the gym
18:27
they can read people to organize those
18:30
things it should be
18:31
community center that's what you're
18:33
paying for why you decided to come
18:35
forward and riding on cock but you know
18:37
for years we were always told that if we
18:40
share any information with the Press
18:44
reporters whatever you get fired which I
18:47
thought was interesting 17 that anywhere
18:49
but you were always very wary of you
18:52
know talking to people with something
18:54
was going on in school system shares
18:56
retaliation from way but it's just at
18:59
the point now where I really don't care
19:01
uh and people need to know what's going
19:06
on and the people do know i think either
19:09
you know don't want to do with it
19:11
because these issues are so pervasive
19:13
arm or you know they are intimidating
19:18
they go a different direction
19:31
this is program and Stephen Janis
19:32
reporting for the real news network in
19:34
Baltimore City Maryland
The Financial Armageddon Economic Collapse Blog tracks trends and forecasts , futurists , visionaries , free investigative journalists , researchers , Whistelblowers , truthers and many more
No comments:
Post a Comment