A broken system

Our school systems here in America have a huge problem. The problem is the system itself is broken. Political correctness and zero tolerance have changed our public schools into indoctrination camps instead of educational facilities. Common sense and morality have been outlawed and replaced by moral relativism. Our public schools these days are no longer turning out the best and brightest or the most highly capable and educated. Instead they are mass producing mind numb robots towing the lines political correctness. And, this problem IS NOT the fault of the teachers. It is the fault of politicians and administrators.

Our public schools seek to rewrite history and teach that America is not the greatset nation on the planet, but rather the great Satan and the source and cause of all the world's problems. The system seeks to eliminate and irradicate all mention of God from within itself and seeks to normalize and legitamize things that are wrong. It is for these reasons and other that I thank God for charter schools like Texas Leadership Charter Academy that my church has started right here in San Angelo.

Initially, TLCA had the support, at least verbally anyway, of the SAISD. Once the school's chater was accepted by the TEA and it was given the go ahead, that's when things changed dramatically. SAISD Superintendent Dr. Carol Ann Bonds who had once offered help and support to TLCA changed her tune and referred to the school and it's founder and our pastor Dr. Walt Landers as "the enemy". Given the state of our educational system in this country I can understand why Dr. Bonds is afraid of what she views as competition. And, therein lies the problem.

The fact that Dr. Bonds views a school like TLCA as "the enemy" or the "competition" is very telling. This so-called educator must be more concerned about something than education children if she holds these views. Perhaps it is keeping her job. TLCA exists for one purpose, to educate children. Not to indoctrinate, but to educate. It exists to teach the truth about the founding of this nation, to teach common sense, virtue, and morality, all of which are essential parts of a child's education. So-called educators like Dr. Bonds only care about numbers; how many kids are enrolled, how high they score on the TAKS tests, and how much revenue the school can hang onto.

By her own words dr. Bonds admits that she is only it for herself and not for the kids. If her only concern was educating the children of San Angelo she would welcome the new school, not view it as the competition and something to be feared. This mindset is similar to that of some pastors when a new church starts up. They feel threatened merely by its existence when they should welcome a new ally in the same fight. When they oppose it, it makes one questioon their motives. Dr. Bonds' opposition to TLCA should cause her motives to be questioned also.

The fact that Dr. Bonds feels threatened by the mere existence of TLCA and views it as the enemy in fact makes her the enemy. It makes her the enemy of the children of San Angelo and parents who want to see them get a real, proper, and good education. It makes her the enemy of common sense.

The parents of San Angelo's school children now have a choice where to send ther kids; the status quo of the broken public school system, or TLCA where they can actually get an education that means something. how many public schools not just here in San Angelo, but anywhere, have a waiting list? None. TLCA and other charter schools like it do. That should tell us something. This does not bode well for our public school system, but bodes very well for the children of San Angelo and parents who care about their kids getting a proper education.

The truth is, TLCA will probably be here long after Dr. Bonds is gone. We can only hope that this "competition" with SAISD will only cause SAISD to improve itself so that the kids who can't get into TLCA can still get a good education.

The stakes are high. Our children's futures hang in the balance. I wholeheartedly support TLCA and feel sorry for the those still stuck in the broken system. When my daughter is old enough, she will attend TLCA and not SAISD. Not that I have anything against SAISD really as an entity and certainly not against it's teachers. Only its administration and the broken system of which it is a part.

Jim Chitty