I just read sykes post again, looking for any clue that may give me pause to believe there is a shred of validity to anything he stated. My answer, absolutely not.
Let me say this, I was one of the proud citizens that was born and raised in Petersburg. It truly was a great city at one time. I had a terrific childhood. I got a fantastic education, until the ninth grade, (1969). Many factors came together to start the downturn of the school system that year. Not excuses, not even wrong, but the end result was that the schools started a slow and steady decline that year.
At bit of background. A few years later, probably about 1978, The Brown and Williams Tobacco Company began the steady downsizing as they moved their base of operations to Macon, Georgia. And so went 6000 high paying jobs by 1988. The economic impact was staggering, and was never been mitigated by any substantial economic growth.
As Navy said, the school system has become absolutely one of the worst performing systems in the state. Now mind you, the brightest minds with bottomless pocketbooks would have been challenged to keep the school system at an acceptable level. And neither was available. Regardless of the reasons, which are many and varied, funding of the schools has become difficult to maintain. But more importantly, the ability to attract and keep good administrators and teachers is nearly impossible. And Petersburg, and specifically the schools, do not need merely good personnel, they need extraordinary personnel.
They need these extrodinary personnel, because those kids are worth it. Honestly, I could give a damn less about the adults that have chosen to live the life many of them do. When you get in your 20's, it's your own fault. Not mine, not someone else's, and certainly not the governments. Your's and your's alone.
But, conversely, it is not the kids fault, to be saddled with a substandard education, in decaying inadequate schools. They deserve better. And better does not mean, more money. It means accountability. It means high standards and expectations. It means the right resources, not just paying more to the teachers and administrators that helped create the problem.
So maybe we owe "sykes" some latitude. If he was a product of a school system that did not teach him to be responsible with his accusations. That did not teach him to respect someone that simply wanted to provide their children with the best possible chance in life by way of a sound education. That did not value honesty and accountability above all else. Then maybe it's not his fault?
Sykes, we are not perfect in Dinwiddie. We don't always get it right. We stumble sometimes. But we don't blame anyone for our shortcomings. We don't acuse others of something to make ourselves feel better. We just own our mistakes, roll up our sleeves, and go to work fixing our problems. That my friend is the foundation for pride, Dinwiddie style.
