Going without: Poverty is the determining factor in many students' outlook

Wayne County Board of Education member Raymond Smith Jr. got it right last week with his comments to one of our reporters who has been following the school system's redistricting plans very closely.

We have a unique opportunity here, he said, to address some concerns beyond just the number of students attending this school or that.

He was talking about diversity, the socio-economic sort, and his comments were on the money.

 "... Poverty has no race," he said.

He went on to discuss the attitudes of individuals toward education, saying those from more affluent areas tend to look more favorably upon getting an education.

But for many of the schools in our communities across the county, poverty is the determining factor of many students' outlook on education.

The lowest performing schools in the county have the highest percentages -- 80 to 85 percent in some case -- of students receiving free or reduced lunch. That means their families are poor enough to qualify for assistance. These are the same kids, many of them, who rely on free lunch programs in the summer or would otherwise go without eating.

Good paying jobs have been scarce, and parents doing the best they can to make ends meet don't always have enough to spend on computers and internet, let alone tutors and extracurriculars that often carry additional costs.

Redistricting, while not being a solution to poverty or other social ills, ought to be an opportunity to pair the affluent with the less well to do, as well as bringing together students of various races, backgrounds and experiences.

Education is enhanced through informed discussion, and children of all backgrounds would do well to learn from their peers whose experiences might differ from their own.

We hope the school board will consider these factors while determining who goes to which school and where.

Published in Editorials on August 26, 2017 9:40 PM