Schools shouldn’t be a commodity

School is back in session, along with all the promises and perils that go with it.

The news last month rightly trumpeted the generosity of basketball star LeBron James. James announced he was fully funding a public school for “at-risk” kids in his hometown of Akron, Ohio — an “I Promise School.”

It’s hard to characterize the school as a traditional neighborhood school or a charter school as it seems somewhat a hybrid. But all children will have everything they need to succeed: books, bikes, uniforms, mentors, nutrition and the promise of tuition-free college at the University of Akron after high school graduation. GED classes and job placement will be available to their parents, too.

To James’s credit, he did not start a private school; he worked with the Akron public school district to devise the plan.

Wonderful. Now, these questions come to my mind as a religious person: Why should it take private philanthropy to create all the conditions for successful public education? Are not all children equally worthy of a quality education?

We have never seriously committed ourselves to providing a public education system that would give equal opportunity to all students to learn and achieve. Race is part of the reason. When we were forced by the courts to desegregate public schools, we never fully integrated them. Then whites fled for the suburbs so we could segregate by economic choice, supported by redlining housing policies that kept blacks from coming into the neighborhood.

Nowadays, we are doubling down on the dumbing down strategy by starving public schools of adequate state funding; arguing for private school voucher programs, which would cherry-pick minority children as trophies to prove the success of the model; and blaming those who are left in the under-resourced neighborhood schools for their moral failure in achievement.

The narrative of futility is changing, however. Dallas Independent School District is a model of innovation among urban districts. It’s doing a lot with a little. (And unless the state school funding system is changed in the next legislative session, they will be doing with a lot less due to the “Robin Hood” recapture system.)

Worship

BAPTIST

PARK CITIES BAPTIST CHURCH / 3933 Northwest Pky / pcbc.org

Bible Study 9:15 / Worship Services 10:45 Traditional, Contemporary, Spanish Speaking / 214.860.1500

ROYAL LANE BAPTIST CHURCH / 6707 Royal Lane / 214.361.2809

Christian Education 9:45 a.m. / Worship Service 10:55 a.m.

Pastor - Rev. Dr. Michael L. Gregg / www.royallane.org

WILSHIRE BAPTIST / 4316 Abrams / 214.452.3100

Pastor George A. Mason Ph.D. / Worship 8:30 & 11:00 am

Bible Study 9:40 am / www.wilshirebc.org

Bible Churches

NORTH HIGHLANDS BIBLE CHURCH / nhbc.net / 9626 Church Rd.

Sun: LifeQuest 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / 214.348.9697

Wed: AWANA and Kids Choir 6:00 pm / Student Ministry 6:30 pm

Disciples Of Christ

EAST DALLAS CHRISTIAN CHURCH / 629 N. Peak Street / 214.824.8185

Sunday School 9:30 am / Worship 8:30 am - Chapel

10:50 am - Sanctuary / Rev. Deborah Morgan-Stokes / edcc.org

Episcopal

ST. JAMES EPISCOPAL CHURCH / 9845 McCree Road / 214.348.1345

Worship 8 & 10 am / Family Service 10 am / Sunday School 9 am

Nursery Open for All Services. / StJamesDallas.org

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH / stjd.org

LeBron James’s “I Promise School” plan not only provides quality teachers and administrators (all of whom were willing to work for less to get to work in this fully resourced environment), but it also provides the wraparound services necessary to produce the best chance of excellent outcomes. We have it backwards in most school districts: Wealthy schools that are filled with predominantly white students who come from successful families across generations are the best resourced; those schools that need the most help to compensate for generations that were either denied access to quality education or provided substandard education are the least resourced. What outcomes should we expect from this strategy? Is it spiritually defensible for religious people to treat education as a commodity that some can afford more than others?

James’s gift has given some children palpable hope for their future. Every child deserves the same.

GEORGE MASON is pastor of Wilshire Baptist Church, president of Faith Commons and host of the “Good God” podcast. The Worship section is underwritten by Advocate Publishing and the neighborhood businesses and churches listed here. For information about helping support the Worship section, call 214.560.4202.

Worship: Sat 5:30 pm, Sun 8 & 10:30 am / Christian Ed Sunday Morning & Weekdays, see calendar on website / 214.321.6451 / 848 Harter Rd.

Lutheran

CENTRAL LUTHERAN CHURCH, ELCA / 1000 Easton Road

A Welcoming and Affirming Church / Pastor Rich Pounds

Sunday School 9:00 am / Worship 10:30 am / CentralLutheran.org

FIRST UNITED LUTHERAN CHURCH / 6202 E Mockingbird Ln.

Sunday Worship Service 10:30 am / Call for class schedule. 214.821.5929 / www.dallaslutheran.org

Methodist

FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH RICHARDSON

503 N Central Exwy / fumcr.com / 972.235.8385 / Dr. Clayton Oliphint 8:45, 9:45, 11:00 am sanctuary / access modern worship 11:00am

LAKE HIGHLANDS UMC / 9015 Plano Rd. / 214.348.6600 / lhumc.com

Sunday Morning: 9:30 am Sunday School / 10:30 am Coffee Worship: 8:30 am & 11:00 am Traditional / 11:00 am Contemporary

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

LAKE POINTE CHURCH – WHITE ROCK CAMPUS

Classic Service at 9:30 & Contemporary Service at 11:00 am lakepointe.org / 9150 Garland Road

Presbyterian

LAKE HIGHLANDS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 214.348.2133 8525 Audelia Road at NW Hwy. / www.lhpres.org

9:00 am Contemporary, 9:55 am Christian Ed., 11:00 am Traditional

NORTHRIDGE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH / 6920 Bob-O-Link Dr. 214.827.5521 / www.northridgepc.org / Sundays 8:30 & 11:00 am Church that feels like church and welcomes like family.