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Publishers James M. Moroney III Publisher and Chief Executive Officer George Bannerman Dealey 1885-1940 Robert W. Mong Jr. E.M. (Ted) Dealey 1940-1960 Editor Joe M. Dealey 1960-1980 George Rodrigue James M. Moroney Jr. 1980-1985 Vice President, Managing Editor

John A. Rector Jr. 1985-1986 Keven Ann Willey Vice President, Editorial Page Editor Burl Osborne 1986-2001

Sunday, February 12, 2012

EDITORIAL

Walt Handelsman/Newsday TACTICS FOR A TURNAROUND LETTERS

The Obstacle of Poverty Why I stopped riding DART Address women’s No. 1 threat Re: “Bystander, gunman killed after bus Sen. Barbara Boxer said, “We’re here to New chief must offer pathways for poor to succeed dispute — Officer, one other wounded in stand up for the women of America who Richardson incident,” Wednesday news deserve to have access to free preventive here’s no way to sugarcoat the serious chal- story. care through their health insurance.” lenges ahead for DISD’s next superinten- Tuesday’s Arapaho DART Station The No. 1 killer of women in the U.S. is T dent. One of the biggest is that Dallas shooting really struck a chord with me. heart disease, not pregnancy or reproduc- public schools are overwhelmed by a worsening Five years ago, I discovered mass transit tive issues, yet this is what the government cycle of poverty. Less than a decade ago, 73 per- from Richardson to downtown Dallas wants the insurance industry to pay for — cent of students qualified for free or reduced- would not only reduce my carbon foot- without deductible or co-pay. price lunches at school. Last year, that number print, but also save me approximately $250 If the government is really interested in had grown to 88 percent, and the trend shows a month: no parking fees, less gasoline and having free preventive care that will save a no sign of reversing. wear and tear on my car. Since my employ- woman’s life, it should force insurance Poverty is by no means a pathway to failure. er paid for my DART pass, it seemed like a companies to offer all statin and high- In fact, despite the growing number of poor chil- The project no-brainer. blood-pressure medications without co- dren in DISD, dropout rates are declining, four- However, I stopped riding DART rail af- pay or meeting a deductible. year graduation rates are up and some standard- at a glance ter two years because I felt my safety was Since it isn’t leaning in that direction, I ized test scores are improving. Poverty doesn’t Our goal: To advocate for hiring a strong change threatened. At certain stops, ganglike rid- believe that the government is not actually have to be the insurmountable obstacle to suc- agent and for instituting reform strategies with ers would board, purposefully intimidating looking out for women’s health and has cess that some might assume. records of success. other riders. Also, ticketless homeless another agenda in mind. Still, students living in poverty are far less Our work so far: Since September, we’ve would ride, and contrary to what some peo- Dee Frederick, Dallas likely to get the shot at success that all kids de- published exclusive commentaries by national ple want to believe, they can be dangerous. serve. Studies show that, from birth through education experts on DISD’ s future on our I felt 10 times as safe riding the New high school, children growing up in poor house- Viewpoints and Points pages. York subway for a week recently than I did Issue is not resolved Now: We’re also publishing a six-part editorial holds tend to lack crucial developmental skills, riding DART. Why couldn’t DART verify What about a business owner who is a series outlining recommendations for DISD and tickets at turnstiles? Why can’t DART in- proper health and nutrition, and the crucial its new superintendent: practicing Catholic and holds the same be- stall metal detectors? Money is certainly component of parental involvement in their aca- Footholds: Good DISD stories to build on liefs as his church? demic pursuits. Hiring: Priceless teachers and principals part of the answer. But a higher level of se- Should that owner be required to vio- Even before they enter school, kids in poverty Innovation: Shakeups that work curity is needed. late those beliefs in order to satisfy a re- are more likely to have stunted vocabularies and Ross Avenue: Inject top business standards After the Arapaho Station incident, a quirement of the federal government? be on track to develop debilitating health prob- TODAY: Poverty: Break the cycle — or else DART spokesperson said, “There’s not a Birth control is freely available at little lems such as obesity. By kindergarten, if a child Wish list: Our dream candidate whole lot we can do … ” Because the dis- or no cost. If an employee wants to work hasn’t developed a vocabulary of roughly 2,200 READ the Tactics for a Turnaround series so far. pute involved an argument over a ticket, I for someone who does not provide it to words, he or she is already behind, both in litera- dallasnews.com/turnaround disagree. Verification of a ticket or pass at a them, fine. If not, let them work some- cy and speaking ability. The problem is even turnstile before the rider boarded the bus where else. worse for those children who don’t speak Eng- Today’s takeaways could have prevented this shooting from Bill Karnes, Plano lish; nearly 70 percent of the Dallas district’s stu- Where must DISD’s next superintendent start? occurring altogether. dent population is Hispanic. I Offer a specific plan to improve southern Dallas Ashley Taylor, Richardson Last year, 38 percent of DISD students were schools. Another solution identified as English-language learners, nearly I Work with Dallas police and nonprofits to keep Collaborate and grow I have a different solution to the uncon- all of them Latino. That rate jumps to 54 percent at-risk kids busy after school. stitutional contraception mandate for reli- among pre-kindergarten kids. The combination I Promote parental involvement and good Re: “When bigger isn’t better: Expan- gious institutions. Religious organizations of poverty and limited vocabulary doubles the parenting skills. sion takes its toll — Air quality, water, com- should unionize, collect the dues, send it challenges of ensuring those students succeed. I Make sure students and parents understand muting all part of the trade-off,” Monday directly to the Obama campaign and get a that good grades and diplomas are the best way news story. waiver from Obamacare until around 2015 to escape poverty. Debilitating outside forces As we strive to build a better future for or so, like many of Obama’s union buddies the people of North Texas, we need to foster have received. As many poor students reach the age at which ity with the north. more regional cooperation and coordina- Problem solved for at least four years. parents give them more freedom, the emphasis tion. North Texas is more prosperous — Robert Behan, Duncanville on good grades and staying in school typically How to break the poverty cycle and more populous — than ever before, but declines. Many feel the pressure to get a job and as this article illuminates, air quality, water Why leave out girls? help the family financially. The temptations of We don’t expect the new superintendent to resources, transportation and education drugs and crime grow. end poverty in Dallas. We do expect greater em- will challenge our region’s continued de- Re: “Boys-only film field trip sparks A 2011study commissioned by the Legislative phasis on ways to help students, and their par- velopment. outcry: Lack of ‘Red Tails’ theater space Budget Board stated that 86.1 percent of DISD ents, cope with the stresses while working to I praise the cooperative efforts of the cited for leaving out girls,” Friday news students are economically disadvantaged — far break the poverty cycle through better education. businesses and municipalities in our re- story. higher than the state average of 56.7 percent. At- Students and parents must receive a clear, un- gion to tackle these issues; the recent tran- Children learn about it at a very young risk students — including those who are preg- equivocal message from the leadership that stay- sit link between Denton’s A-Train and Dal- age. When is Dallas ISD going to learn nant or already parents, have been expelled be- ing in school is the best path to escape poverty. las’ DART light rail comes to mind as a that prejudice and discrimination hurts? fore, are on parole, have previously dropped out The new superintendent must demonstrate an great example of the type of forward think- On Thursday, 5,000 fifth-grade boys and-or are homeless — make up 67 percent of understanding that what happens outside the ing needed to ensure that our region’s in- went to see Red Tails, the World War II the student population. These two groups — classroom — that is, in the home and on the frastructure can keep up with its growth. movie about the Tuskegee Airmen. Only economically disadvantaged and at-risk stu- streets — plays an integral role in the student’s Collaboration is more important than ever boys went. This was paid for with $57,000 dents — are by far the highest contributors to success or failure. in helping North Texas address its growing of Title I money, which is for the education DISD disciplinary and dropout problems. That’s a poverty issue, because the various pains. of low-income children. The pressures are enormous on DISD teach- stresses caused by poverty weigh heavily on what Mabrie Jackson, Irving Girls, apparently it doesn’t matter to ers and administrators trying to keep students kids do when they’re not in school. DISD must do DISD if you get educated. But at your age focused on learning while the distractions from abetter job coordinating with the police and non- No birth control compromise you can spell better than most boys, so you outside lure them astray. profit groups to ensure that at-risk youth receive can stay at school and watch a spelling bee The most current Texas Education Agency greater attention and guidance when they’re not The Obama administration had no need movie. statistics offer a glimpse of the root problem. in the classroom. DISD trustees should ask all to compromise with the institutional dino- Eleanor Roosevelt flew in a plane flown TEA measurements show that economic disad- candidates to articulate a vision of how to accom- saurs of the Vatican, U.S. bishops or the by a black man who had learned to fly at vantage is a far greater predictor of dropout rates plish that. U.S. Congress. A large portion of prescrip- the Tuskegee Institute and used her influ- and absenteeism than other measurements, Talk to any teacher in one of DISD’s high-pov- tions written for contraception medication ence to allow the Tuskegee Airmen to be such as race or ethnicity. Far higher proportions erty zones, and you’re likely to hear vivid stories is to treat hormonal imbalances that cause fighter pilots. Someday this generation of of blacks and Hispanics are represented than about parents who decline to get involved, won’t menstrual irregularities such as excessive fifth-grade boys may need the help of a girl whites in the number of 2010 high school drop- answer teachers’ phone calls to discuss their chil- bleeding, debilitating abdominal pain or like Eleanor Roosevelt. outs. But when race and ethnicity are filtered out dren’s progress, or put little emphasis on com- headaches and even acne. Women from DISD, discrimination wastes talent and of the equation, the highest percentage — 64 pleting school. Others want to be involved but teens to menopausal grandmothers and all training. percent — of dropouts came from poor house- can’t because they’re too busy working to make others are using these types of medications. Willa Kulhavy, Garland holds. The same holds true for absenteeism. ends meet. The Catholic Church already received A 2004 Department of Education study We compared the locations of Dallas’ 33 unac- an exemption for its direct employees. And why spend so much? found that high school students from low-in- ceptable schools with a census map showing the Catholic-supported hospital systems have come households dropped out at six times the percentage of the surrounding population over no business denying their employees or You’ve got to be kidding! Spending rate of those from higher-income households. age 25 without a high school diploma. Of the 13 their patients commonly accepted and fre- $57,000 to take some — not all — fifth- This is how the poverty cycle perpetuates it- unacceptable high schools, eight are surrounded quently administered health care treat- graders to a movie? Why does anyone on self. Dropouts are 3.5 times more likely to be in- by neighborhoods where more than 20 percent of ments. Catholic women don’t need the old, the DISD board still have their job? carcerated in their lifetime. Their earnings will adults did not get a diploma. All eight are in mitered men behind the curtain to tell I will never vote for one more cent to be 35 percent to 43 percent lower than those southern Dallas. All 33 unacceptable schools them what is acceptable. Dallas public education. How many kicks who finish high school, meaning they will con- draw students from areas where the adult popu- It’s the church’s complaints and exercise in the head will it take? tribute less to the tax rolls. In 2005, then-Educa- lation ranks higher than the districtwide average of its religious freedoms that are clearly And what will happen when they lose tion Secretary Margaret Spellings said the cost for failing to finish high school. For all but three limiting to the women of this country; our $79 million in federal funds? If I were the to our nation totals $260 billion a year in lost unacceptable schools, the 2010 per capita income government is actually expanding women’s feds, I’d yank it all back. wages and taxes and diminished productivity. in surrounding neighborhoods was below freedom to choose appropriate health care. Kurt Wolfenbarager, Dallas/White Rock In addressing this problem, the new superin- $25,000 a year. Mark Fitzpatrick, Dallas/Preston Hollow tendent must pay special attention to Dallas’ These results underscore the cyclical effects of north-south disparity, which is particularly pro- poverty. Dallas children growing up in an envi- nounced in school performance ratings. The ronment of poverty are far more likely to fail in bulk of poverty in the city is concentrated south school — and fail economically later in life. The LETTERS & VIEWPOINTS POLICY of the Trinity River and Interstate 30. It’s no co- new superintendent’s success will depend might- We value reader submissions. We receive far more than we can print and MAIL ONLINE incidence that two-thirds of DISD’s failing ily on the ability to address this challenge and to publish a representative sample. Letters should not exceed 200 words. Letters From Readers www.dallasnews.com/ Viewpoints columns, which may be submitted through viewpoints@dallas- The Dallas Morning News sendletters schools also are in southern Dallas. This district ensure that children from poorer neighborhoods news.com, should not exceed 600 words. Letters and columns are edited for Box 655237 as a whole cannot turn around without bringing stay on the track to graduation and emerge from length and clarity. Include your name, address with ZIP code and daytime Dallas, Texas 75265 southern Dallas schools’ performance up to par- DISD schools prepared for success. phone number. Submissions become property of The News.

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