In Bill’s backyard
The city of Chicago has a plan to cut their dropout rate, a plan to better their curriculum and prepare their students for college. A plan that’s going to be helped along by $21 million dollars from the Gates Foundation. The Gates Foundation that’s headquartered right down the street from where I’m sitting currently. You know, in Seattle.
That’s the same Seattle whose schools are going to be experiencing a budget shortfall of about $22 million dollars, which will force some schools to close. There are already 11 that are slated to close, pushing their students into other schools because enrollment has been dropping and test scores have been low.
I know that the Gates Foundation is committed to helping education all over the place. That’s their thing. And I know that they’ve given money to Seattle schools, and that they’re terribly helpful, and all of that. Still, you know the old line about shoemaker’s families going barefoot, right? Our curriculum could use a little boost itself, Bill.
Actually, the Gates Foundation used to grant money to Seattle Schools, but they didn’t renew the grant a few years ago. If I had time I’d find the P-I article about it.