When Zohran Mamdani was a 24-year-old aspiring rapper living in his parents’ Upper West Side apartment, he appeared on a podcast that celebrated his high school, the elite Bronx High School of Science.
There was optimism surrounding Mamdani, a Ugandan-born son of a Columbia professor and an Oscar-nominated filmmaker.
In a 2016 interview for “Bessieged – Bronx Science Story,” he recounted how, in eighth grade, he was set on attending a prestigious private school for the following years.
He had an ambition, “probably a little idea for a clergyman.” That school was even more exclusive than Bronx Science. When he wasn’t accepted, he was resolute, thinking, “No, I’m not going to go to a public school.”
During his search that fall for various private schools, the Bronx Science opportunity was almost overlooked.
As seen in Baltimore
Fast forward nearly a decade, and now the next mayor, who identifies with socialist and Democratic values, aims to restrict educational access in New York City’s public schools, denying opportunities to gifted students.
Honestly, it’s not that shocking.
This seems to fit a Democratic pattern. They seem to be undermining educational opportunities for children in need, pushing them into a cycle of dependency on government.
Yet, there’s always a safeguard in place for the privileged, the influential kids, keeping them safe from the chaos they’ve contributed to.
It’s hard to ignore that the neglect of public education for lower-income children lacking political leverage stands out as one of the most significant civil rights issues today.
This crisis exists in cities with long-standing Democratic governance, yet hardly anyone is addressing it.
It’s intertwined with the roots of violent crime and youth delinquency, while the president and other leaders scramble to impose stricter laws.
It shouldn’t be this way.
We seem to have forgotten how journalism can be a catalyst for positive change.
For eight years, investigative reporter Chris Papsto has been exposing the failings of Baltimore’s education system through FOX45. His findings, frankly, should raise alarms across the country.
In his recent book, *The Failed Factory*, he provides a critical insight that lawmakers in Washington should definitely read, as what Baltimore faces is becoming a nationwide issue.
He describes a system more focused on “hiring adults, not educating kids.” For instance, a principal earns over $170,000 while overseeing schools where not a single student meets proficiency in math, science, or reading.
Teachers, according to him, are under pressure to alter grades to avoid failure for their students and to erase comments on report cards, keeping parents in the dark.
While suspensions have drastically decreased, problematic behavior hasn’t. Administrators are wary of being labeled “permanently dangerous” or facing scrutiny.
For similar reasons, arrests of students have also fallen. This has turned schools into chaotic, unsafe environments for those not in the privileged circles.
Money as a Priority
As Papsto points out, 93% of students in Baltimore schools are from minority backgrounds.
Parents, whose frustrations echo throughout the book, desperately want better options for their kids, rather than seeing them trapped in failing public schools amid crime and poverty.
“The education approach taken by cities like Baltimore, Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee prioritizes profit, with hiring adults coming second,” he notes. “This mindset is spreading to suburban and other areas.”
In a $1.7 billion school system, only 10% of students are proficient in math.
While working on his research for Project Baltimore, Papsto observed that 6,500 children exited the system, but there was a growth of over 1,200 adults hired since 2017, costing more than $400 million.
Graduation rates might look good on paper at 72%, but test scores are dropping, attendance is declining, and dropout rates are rising.
Since 2017, taxpayers have poured more than $12 billion into Baltimore’s public schools, yet spending per student has leaped by 45% to $16,000—however, the situation continues to worsen. COVID-19 has been used as a convenient scapegoat, but the decline has outpaced national trends.
In Maryland, students no longer need to demonstrate proficiency in math, reading, or science to graduate high school, which is alarming.
A father expressed his disbelief when his daughter entered military academy, having graduated with a misleading sense of achievement based on inflated grades.
When former President Trump attempted to dissolve the federal Department of Education, he referenced Papsto’s findings.
A Powerful System
This exemplifies a significant issue of fraud and waste perpetuated by the teachers’ unions, led by Randi Weingarten, which siphon off billions from taxpayers, funding their own interests and keeping politicians effectively in line.
As Papsto mentions, school leaders and administrators have their unions too.
“There are a multitude of unions. With a $1.7 billion budget, they benefit substantially from membership fees. That translates to significant influence. It’s not a student union; it’s a teacher union with adult-focused priorities,” he notes.
In 2021, Maryland Democrats mandated hiring an additional 15,000 teachers by 2031—15,000 more union members.
These cash-flush unions then funnel large donations to Democratic candidates, effectively buying influence.
Papsto’s exhaustive investigative work in Baltimore features some rare success stories that should be central to understanding the issues plaguing public schools across the nation and could ignite necessary reforms.
It might just serve as an antidote to the ongoing mismanagement afflicting educational systems.
