[Mpls] Empty classrooms

[Michael Atherton]

Phyllis Kahn wrote:
 
> Thanks to Chuck Holtman for making the point about the 
> Community Ed use of Pratt classrooms. On a personal note at 
> various times I have taken Weight Training, Chinese, Conversational 
> French, Beginning and Conversational Spanish and even Dog Obedience 
> Training and Fencing (a very long time ago). The question of how this 
> shared use is financed is appropriate and may need to be adjusted.

I think that the cost vs. benefit analysis of the Pratt Elementary 
School should ultimately be assessed on whether the District spends
more per child at Pratt than other Elementary schools.  I am certainly
willing to consider the evidence that the Save Pratt Group and the
District come up with, but in the end the decision should be based
on fairness and equality, not the popularity of life-style courses
for the middle class.

What has made the strongest impression on me, when attending meetings
about the future of Pratt, is the lack of perspective, understanding,
and empathy that White residents have in regards to the problems 
faced by minority students.  In particular, I remember one White
parent explaining that when they had attended South High they had
had their "racial" problems, but they had worked them out.  I wonder
what her perspective would have been if she had attended schools
in North Minneapolis where the majority of students are minorities
rather than Caucasian. While it is true that most of the community 
ed classes at Pratt serve minority residents, it is not clear whether 
or not these classes' primary function is to provide an excuse to save 
Pratt as a community center for Hill residents. 

To me, one of the dividing lines between liberal and conservative
positions is the types of solutions they propose for poverty and 
discrimination.  From my perspective liberals seems to be much more 
willing to be satisfied with token solutions that allow activists 
to feel good about their contributions, but have little long term 
positive impact.  Although Pratt is only a small skirmish in the 
struggle for equality of effect, I think that the cultural challenges 
are the same as they have been throughout the history of the civil 
rights movement.

Michael Atherton
Prospect Park