Save Grant High? Not If You’re A Lib!
Jack Bog’s Blog raises the profile on the latest issue with Portland Public Schools, What the signs really mean: Save Grant High School.
In my circle of Dog Park mates, guys and gals who meet up with our dogs every morning for the run, poop and pee, most are libs. Only two of us didn’t vote for Obama. That’s the way it is in NE Portland.
We were invited to the 55 birthday party of dog park architect who has an eighth grader and is adamantly opposed to the closing of Grant. He bought his home in the Grant High School area because of the reputation of the school. He wants his daughter to attend Grant. He also doesn’t want his child to start at Grant and then be forced to transfer to another high school like Madison or Jefferson.
At the party I quizzed several parents who are also opposed to any change at Grant. Now let me tell you why if you want to keep the school open, you have a better chance of getting your way if you are a conservative than a Lib!
The parents who I spoke to were all too reasonable. They wanted to let the process work. They could argue why society might be better off if Grant closed. They know that Grant has advantages that smaller schools like Jefferson and Roosevelt don’t have and that’s not fair. They look at Lincoln and say why should we bus students from Cornelius Pass to Lincoln when Roosevelt is much closer. “Why, it’s just across the St. Johns Bridge.
They know in their hearts that if Grant closes their property values will decline. They know they have a multi-cultural school now (meaning black, white, yellow and brown students) and are afraid of being labeled racist if they don’t want their sons or daughters going to Jefferson, who everyone knows is a bad school. 70% of the students know it who live in the Jeff area transfer elsewhere. They know that Madison is gang-ridden and they don’t want their sons and daughters going there either.
If you were a conservative you would say, “Hell No! You will not close Grant and then make life a living hell for the school board. Libs will try to find compromise, or kick the can down the road so their child is not affected, or justify the eventual decision. Jack Bogdanski nails when he says,
I’ll bet there are bureaucrats who tell you “No decision has been made yet,” when of course the fix has been in from the start. There’s probably a lot of “Thank you for your valuable input” from people who are going to keep holding meetings until you get tired of coming to them, and then tell you you missed the key moment. People saying “It’s the principle of the thing” when they mean “It’s what I want.”
If conservatives have a fault it’s seeing an issue as black or white. Libs need, in this case to emulate conservatives. Put your foot down. This is war! Try exercising your God given rights and protest this outrage. Stop thinking elites know what’s good for you! Dust off your slogans:
- Hell No, we won’t go!
- Hey, Hey PPS how many kids did you stress today.
- What do we want? Grant Open! When do we want it? NOW!
Dust off your sit ins and your administration occupations. This is important. After all who pays these yahoos in PPS salaries? You do. You have the power!
There just are not enough conservatives in NE to get this done. They can’t appeal to the politicians they voted in. They’re all Libs.
The Libs need to do this, but I’m betting that Grant will close for the 2011 season and a fine educational institution will be gone. Pity there are not more conservatives in NE Portland.
