1 00:00:03,440 --> 00:00:07,240 Speaker 1: On this episode of News World. Baltimore City Schools have 2 00:00:07,360 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: been under performing for years, graduating children who are functionally illiterate, 3 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,320 Speaker 1: unable to pass state exams or qualify to go to college. 4 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:21,720 Speaker 1: The system has failed them. Remarkably that Baltimore City School's 5 00:00:21,760 --> 00:00:25,919 Speaker 1: annual budget is one point four billion dollars a year, 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: they are the fifth best funded city school budget in 7 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: the United States. With what seems like the proper amount 8 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: of funding, why are so many children consistently failing in 9 00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 1: their system? In twenty seventeen, Sinclair's local TV affiliate in Baltimore, 10 00:00:43,000 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: Fox forty five, formed Project Baltimore, an I team investigation 11 00:00:49,040 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: into why Baltimore City Schools were not doing better, but 12 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:58,400 Speaker 1: they found was astonishing. First, the administration of Baltimore City 13 00:00:58,400 --> 00:01:02,080 Speaker 1: Schools would not honor Freedom of Information Act request that 14 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,280 Speaker 1: Fox forty five had file. They simply refuse to be 15 00:01:05,319 --> 00:01:09,000 Speaker 1: transparent with their data, so Fox forty five took them 16 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 1: to court in December twenty seventeen. Here to tell the 17 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,479 Speaker 1: story of his reporting and what he's uncovered in four 18 00:01:17,680 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: years of working on this investigation. I am really pleased 19 00:01:22,120 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: to welcome our guests. Chris Paps, Sinclair's Fox forty five 20 00:01:27,160 --> 00:01:42,720 Speaker 1: Project Baltimore Lead Investigative Report, Chris, thank you for taking 21 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: the time to educate the rest of us about what's 22 00:01:46,080 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: happening in Baltimore is really a test case for the 23 00:01:49,760 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 1: whole country. How long have you been looking into the 24 00:01:53,160 --> 00:01:56,480 Speaker 1: Baltimore City schools? Oh, mister speaker, thank you for having 25 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:58,840 Speaker 1: me on and thank you for taking interest in Project 26 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: Baltimore and Fox five and what we're doing. We launched 27 00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:07,160 Speaker 1: in about March of two seventeen, and the reason that 28 00:02:07,240 --> 00:02:09,720 Speaker 1: we decided to create this investigative unit to look at 29 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:16,240 Speaker 1: education in Maryland and Baltimore City is because for years, decades, generations, 30 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:21,359 Speaker 1: Baltimore City Schools has been one of the worst performing 31 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: school systems in America when looking at the largest school 32 00:02:24,919 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 1: systems in the country, these city school systems, and there's 33 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:33,280 Speaker 1: always been this We know what's going on in Baltimore City. 34 00:02:33,360 --> 00:02:36,280 Speaker 1: We know that they're graduating kids who can't read. We 35 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:39,560 Speaker 1: know what the proficiency rates are for the kids in 36 00:02:39,560 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: the school, we know where money is being spent. But 37 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 1: these were kind of all, I don't want to say rumors, 38 00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:49,800 Speaker 1: but things that people couldn't prove because there wasn't anybody 39 00:02:49,880 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 1: really looking into it. So we formed our IT team 40 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:56,960 Speaker 1: unit to dig into the numbers, to dig into the data, 41 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:01,880 Speaker 1: and to see what exactly is happening in this school system, 42 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: how the money is being spent, and how the students 43 00:03:04,760 --> 00:03:08,440 Speaker 1: are underperforming, and try to come up with some solutions 44 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,200 Speaker 1: is to what could create a better school system in Baltimore, 45 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 1: because Baltimore is as the headlines you've seen over the 46 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:21,119 Speaker 1: past six, seven, ten years, you know, this is one 47 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:24,160 Speaker 1: of the if not the most dangerous and violent cities 48 00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 1: in America in terms of shootings, in terms of murders, 49 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 1: and most everyone that we speak to in the city 50 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 1: connects the school system and the lack of education the 51 00:03:33,840 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: students are getting with the crime rate. If I first 52 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:40,520 Speaker 1: got involved years ago, look at some of the numbers 53 00:03:40,520 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: are so breathtaking that it's almost impossible. When you started 54 00:03:45,920 --> 00:03:51,240 Speaker 1: analyzing the twenty seventeen state testing data, you found that 55 00:03:51,360 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: one third of the high schools in Baltimore City had 56 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: zero students professionals zero. How is that possible? Well, we 57 00:04:01,520 --> 00:04:04,480 Speaker 1: looked at that data in twenty seventeen and there's a 58 00:04:04,520 --> 00:04:07,880 Speaker 1: few things that we found. We did find that thirteen 59 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: of the thirty nine high schools in Baltimore City had 60 00:04:10,480 --> 00:04:14,480 Speaker 1: zero students proficient in math. We also found that there 61 00:04:14,520 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: were six schools in the entire city, six schools that 62 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:25,080 Speaker 1: did not have one student proficient in anything, zero proficiency 63 00:04:25,200 --> 00:04:27,440 Speaker 1: throughout that entire school and there were six of them. 64 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,039 Speaker 1: Five of them were high schools and one of them 65 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:34,719 Speaker 1: were middle schools. So your question is how does this happen? Well, 66 00:04:35,120 --> 00:04:37,880 Speaker 1: you had mentioned that we had taken Baltimore City Schools 67 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,520 Speaker 1: to court, and the reason we took them the court 68 00:04:40,760 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 1: was because we had been informed by many people who 69 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:49,279 Speaker 1: work in the city, teachers, principles, parents, that the school 70 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:53,720 Speaker 1: system was changing grades and they're changing grades from failing 71 00:04:53,839 --> 00:04:58,040 Speaker 1: to passing to get these kids through the school system 72 00:04:58,080 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 1: without getting the education that they need. And I think 73 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,120 Speaker 1: that what we're talking about right now with these thirteen 74 00:05:04,200 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 1: high schools was zero kids proficient in math, six schools 75 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: with zero kids proficient in anything. I think that is 76 00:05:11,720 --> 00:05:14,840 Speaker 1: how that happens. It happens because we know, through the 77 00:05:14,920 --> 00:05:18,280 Speaker 1: lawsuit and through winning this lawsuit and the documents at 78 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: City Schools had to deliver to us that they were 79 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:24,279 Speaker 1: changing grades on a mass scale throughout the entire school 80 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: system in many of the schools, if not all of 81 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 1: the schools. They were changing grades, taking failing grades of 82 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: fifty eights and fifty nines and rounding them up to 83 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 1: sixties and sixty ones to get the kids passed, to 84 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:40,400 Speaker 1: get them to the next grade. That is what happened. 85 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: We know that happened because we won the lawsuit and 86 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,839 Speaker 1: we got the documents. So that's your answer, grade changing, 87 00:05:45,960 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 1: pushing the kids through, they're not getting the education that 88 00:05:49,040 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: they need. And also keep in mind here that so 89 00:05:52,200 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: there were thirteen high schools with zero kids proficient in math, 90 00:05:55,560 --> 00:05:57,840 Speaker 1: if I remember correctly in that story we did in 91 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 1: twenty seventeen, I think there were another ten with one 92 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:05,960 Speaker 1: or two percent proficient, and with six schools was zero 93 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,159 Speaker 1: kids proficient in anything. I mean there were another dozen 94 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:11,960 Speaker 1: or two dozen with one or two percent one or 95 00:06:11,960 --> 00:06:15,120 Speaker 1: two percent proficiency meaning one or two or three kids 96 00:06:15,160 --> 00:06:19,600 Speaker 1: proficient in those schools. Unfortunately, there's many schools in Baltimore 97 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: City that are like this. And is it just an 98 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,960 Speaker 1: organized system of fraud you mentioned early on. There's one 99 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: point four billion dollars that is put into Baltimore City 100 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:39,040 Speaker 1: schools every year, and there is this mentality where they 101 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:41,800 Speaker 1: are saying that there's not enough money and they want 102 00:06:41,839 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: more money. And the legislature of Maryland usually and this 103 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:50,200 Speaker 1: year is no exception, the legislature passed a funding increase 104 00:06:50,240 --> 00:06:54,440 Speaker 1: for the school systems in Maryland, specifically Baltimore City. So 105 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:57,200 Speaker 1: there's more money that's going to be going into there. 106 00:06:57,480 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 1: But these numbers don't really seem to be changing that 107 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:05,640 Speaker 1: much over the years. So over the past five years, 108 00:07:06,120 --> 00:07:11,760 Speaker 1: the graduation rates lower in Baltimore City, SAT scores are lower, 109 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:16,880 Speaker 1: college enrollment rates are lower, but more money keeps getting 110 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: put into the school system. So we have in Maryland. 111 00:07:20,560 --> 00:07:23,720 Speaker 1: The school system is largely funded in Baltimore City by 112 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 1: state taxpayers, about seventy five funded by state taxpayers, and 113 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,720 Speaker 1: more money, mister Speaker, just keeps going into the school system. 114 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: But there doesn't seem to be much of a return 115 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: on that investment when you look at the success of 116 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,160 Speaker 1: students that are coming out of that school system. So 117 00:07:41,240 --> 00:07:43,920 Speaker 1: to look at it from an odd angle, this means 118 00:07:44,160 --> 00:07:48,600 Speaker 1: in all these schools, neither the football team nor the 119 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: basketball team could keep score. We have interviewed teachers who 120 00:07:54,800 --> 00:08:00,440 Speaker 1: have said they have handed diplomas two graduates who cannot 121 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:04,880 Speaker 1: read the diploma, and I remember when we were first 122 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: told that by a teacher, it was stunning. Now we've 123 00:08:09,760 --> 00:08:13,600 Speaker 1: been told that by a number of teachers, and it 124 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:18,160 Speaker 1: seems to be that it's not just happening to one 125 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:21,640 Speaker 1: or two students in Baltimore City, and it's been happening 126 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: for quite some time. We interviewed a sixty year old 127 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,560 Speaker 1: man who cannot read went to Baltimore City schools. We 128 00:08:29,640 --> 00:08:33,839 Speaker 1: interviewed a woman who's forty years old, cannot read, went 129 00:08:33,880 --> 00:08:38,480 Speaker 1: to Baltimore City schools. It's really eye opening for us 130 00:08:38,800 --> 00:08:42,200 Speaker 1: to be doing these types of stories. It's also heartbreaking 131 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:45,960 Speaker 1: to be doing these types of stories. But we're hoping 132 00:08:46,080 --> 00:08:49,560 Speaker 1: by shining a light on it and letting people know 133 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: this is the reality in Baltimore City, where forty and 134 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:55,760 Speaker 1: sixty year old people cannot read that went to the 135 00:08:55,760 --> 00:08:58,640 Speaker 1: school system, and where teachers are saying that kids are 136 00:08:58,679 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 1: graduating with diplomas that they cannot even read. Trace this 137 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:06,160 Speaker 1: back to what we just talked about about the proficiency 138 00:09:06,200 --> 00:09:08,319 Speaker 1: of some of these schools. This is not one or 139 00:09:08,360 --> 00:09:12,200 Speaker 1: two people. This is hundreds and thousands of people that 140 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: are going to the school systems in Baltimore City. Do 141 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:17,840 Speaker 1: you have any notion of how many of the teachers 142 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:21,400 Speaker 1: can't read teaching certificates that have to be acquired in 143 00:09:21,440 --> 00:09:26,600 Speaker 1: Baltimore City through the State of Maryland regulation. They're pretty strict. 144 00:09:26,679 --> 00:09:28,520 Speaker 1: I think that the teachers are trying to do the 145 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: best that they can. There are limitations that the teachers have, 146 00:09:32,880 --> 00:09:35,840 Speaker 1: one of them being that Baltimore is a school system 147 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,239 Speaker 1: that has what is known as a one fail policy, 148 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: and what that means is from kindergarten to ninth grade 149 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: in Baltimore City, a student can only fail a grade 150 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: one time, no matter how little they learn, no matter 151 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:55,320 Speaker 1: how many absences they have, the student can only fail once. 152 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,520 Speaker 1: And the reason that the school system they're telling us 153 00:09:58,520 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: that they put that in there is because students learn 154 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,520 Speaker 1: better with their age level peers. But the teachers that 155 00:10:05,640 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: we speak with are telling us that that policy is 156 00:10:10,559 --> 00:10:14,080 Speaker 1: one of the major obstacles in Baltimore City to students learning, 157 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:17,120 Speaker 1: because that is why they're being pushed through the system 158 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:20,440 Speaker 1: without getting the education they need because there's this one 159 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:25,520 Speaker 1: fail policy where you cannot hold them back. And oftentimes 160 00:10:26,120 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 1: in second or third or fourth grade, the schools don't 161 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:31,560 Speaker 1: want to use the one fail because then you can't 162 00:10:31,640 --> 00:10:33,880 Speaker 1: use it in seventh or eighth grade. So what this 163 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 1: really has become is a no fail policy in many instances, 164 00:10:38,240 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: and the kids just keep getting pushed on. And what 165 00:10:40,960 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: teachers tell me is that if you hold a kid 166 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:46,160 Speaker 1: back in a grade so that kid can better learn 167 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:48,600 Speaker 1: that grade and be prepared for the next grade, that's 168 00:10:48,600 --> 00:10:50,640 Speaker 1: going to set them up for success in the future. 169 00:10:51,400 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: But this policy that Baltimore City has, if the kid 170 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:57,560 Speaker 1: is not proficient in reading in third grade and you 171 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:59,760 Speaker 1: take that student and put him in fourth grade, he's 172 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:01,880 Speaker 1: not going to be proficient in fourth grade. He's going 173 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:04,600 Speaker 1: to fall farther behind, and then farther behind in fifth 174 00:11:04,640 --> 00:11:07,600 Speaker 1: grade and sixth grade and seventh grade. So how does 175 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:10,199 Speaker 1: somebody get to twelfth grade but they're reading on a 176 00:11:10,240 --> 00:11:12,320 Speaker 1: first or second grade level, Which is a story that 177 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:13,840 Speaker 1: we did a couple of weeks ago. That is a 178 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: real thing in Baltimore City. Eleventh and twelfth graders reading 179 00:11:17,120 --> 00:11:19,400 Speaker 1: it first and second grade levels. Well, that's how it happens. 180 00:11:19,960 --> 00:11:24,440 Speaker 1: And if that policy weren't there, the school system says 181 00:11:24,480 --> 00:11:28,040 Speaker 1: that you would have older kids in elementary school, but 182 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: that's not what the teachers tell us. Teachers tell us 183 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:32,960 Speaker 1: that just hold the kid back one year, get that 184 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,320 Speaker 1: kid caught up, get them to where they need to be, 185 00:11:35,520 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 1: and then send them on to the next grade, and 186 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 1: they'll set them up more for success in the future. 187 00:11:40,080 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: But that's not what Baltimore City has in terms of policies. 188 00:12:02,920 --> 00:12:06,680 Speaker 1: One of the schools you looked at, Augusta Fells, has 189 00:12:06,720 --> 00:12:10,520 Speaker 1: a three point eight million dollar budget with four hundred 190 00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: and thirty six students, and they have students with a 191 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:19,400 Speaker 1: point one three a grade point everage point one three. 192 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:24,079 Speaker 1: I mean, in fact, they have a student who had 193 00:12:24,120 --> 00:12:28,319 Speaker 1: a point one three great point average and he ranked 194 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,199 Speaker 1: sixty two out of one hundred and twenty. That means 195 00:12:32,200 --> 00:12:36,960 Speaker 1: that fifty eight of his classmates have a zero point 196 00:12:36,960 --> 00:12:42,640 Speaker 1: one three grade point average or lower. Now, it's almost 197 00:12:42,679 --> 00:12:47,120 Speaker 1: impossible to achieve this, But they had three point eight 198 00:12:47,160 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: million dollars for four n thirty six students who end 199 00:12:51,120 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 1: up with a point one three grade point average. Why 200 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,680 Speaker 1: is that not fraud? Well, that is currently being looked into. 201 00:12:58,760 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 1: So we broke this store back in March and it's 202 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: being investigated by state and local investigators. Now, now I 203 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 1: understand what your question with the fraud of the lack 204 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,200 Speaker 1: of education that these kids are getting with the amount 205 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 1: of money that taxpayers are putting in. But that particular school, 206 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:18,160 Speaker 1: when we did the story about the student with the 207 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:21,520 Speaker 1: point one three GPA who was ranked sixty second out 208 00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:24,880 Speaker 1: of one twenty, that ended up spawning a lot of 209 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:28,200 Speaker 1: other stories because how does that even happen. Well, what 210 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 1: we learned was that particular school, there's a strong reason 211 00:13:33,800 --> 00:13:35,960 Speaker 1: to believe, and I think that our reporting has proved 212 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:38,080 Speaker 1: this and this will come out in the investigations in 213 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,840 Speaker 1: the futures, that this school had ghost students. And what 214 00:13:40,960 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 1: that is is a student who has kept on the 215 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:47,240 Speaker 1: roles of the school to increase the funding of that school, 216 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: even though the students not going to that school. So 217 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:54,000 Speaker 1: a lot of those fifty eight kids that were behind 218 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:57,200 Speaker 1: the one with the point one three, potentially these were 219 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 1: ghost students that hadn't been going to that school for years, 220 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:02,960 Speaker 1: but yet they were kept on the roles of that 221 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:06,120 Speaker 1: school to increase the funding. And mister Speaker, we spoke 222 00:14:06,200 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: with one student from that school that we found who 223 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:14,719 Speaker 1: was in jail while enrolled in this school. So this 224 00:14:14,800 --> 00:14:17,640 Speaker 1: is one ghost student of many that were at this 225 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: school that we believe and we tracked him down. He 226 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:22,440 Speaker 1: had gotten out of jail, and we interviewed him and 227 00:14:22,480 --> 00:14:25,040 Speaker 1: we showed him his transcripts and we said to him, 228 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:28,240 Speaker 1: this is you right, and he's like, yes, it says 229 00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: that you were taking these classes in the fall of 230 00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:32,800 Speaker 1: twenty nineteen. He's like man Alet in jail in the 231 00:14:32,800 --> 00:14:35,760 Speaker 1: fall of twenty nineteen. So that's what's going on in 232 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:39,200 Speaker 1: that particular school. So there's a bunch of agencies that 233 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: are looking into it and we should hopefully some results 234 00:14:41,680 --> 00:14:44,840 Speaker 1: on that soon what was happening there, because I would 235 00:14:44,840 --> 00:14:50,200 Speaker 1: think whoever filled out that transcript explicitly committed fraud. Correct. 236 00:14:50,240 --> 00:14:52,560 Speaker 1: And this is on the federal level because this was 237 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:55,280 Speaker 1: a Title one school that received a lot of federal funding, 238 00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 1: and also on the state level because most of the 239 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,360 Speaker 1: money going to that school came from state taxpayer. On 240 00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:03,360 Speaker 1: a local level in the city because a lot of 241 00:15:03,400 --> 00:15:06,760 Speaker 1: the money going into that school also came from city taxpayers. 242 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 1: So this would be city, state, and federal fraud for 243 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: this particular situation in that particular student. But we had 244 00:15:13,560 --> 00:15:16,760 Speaker 1: the names of at least twenty one students at that school, 245 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:20,280 Speaker 1: some had not actually gone to that school in two years, 246 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: but they were still on the rolls and taxpayers from federal, 247 00:15:24,760 --> 00:15:27,920 Speaker 1: state and city were still giving the school system money 248 00:15:27,960 --> 00:15:32,040 Speaker 1: to educate that student who was not there years ago. 249 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,480 Speaker 1: In Indianapolis, they had a system where they counted the 250 00:15:36,560 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: students twice a year, and those two days were called 251 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: pizza days, and so they gave away free pizza, so 252 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,880 Speaker 1: that everybody who wasn't there the rest of the year 253 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: would show up and they get a twenty or thirty 254 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: percent increase in attendance for two days a year, but 255 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,720 Speaker 1: it was the same ghost student kind of problem. Now, 256 00:15:59,000 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: all of this acum related so that in the first 257 00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:05,640 Speaker 1: three quarters of the last school year, forty one percent 258 00:16:06,080 --> 00:16:09,960 Speaker 1: of all Baltimore City high school students earned less than 259 00:16:10,520 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 1: a one point oh great point average. So half of 260 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: the twenty thousand and five hundred public high school students 261 00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: in Baltimore City earned less than a D. Why has 262 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:28,360 Speaker 1: the community not exploded? There's a protest this is happening 263 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:32,920 Speaker 1: in early August for the school CEO to resign. There's 264 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 1: a lot of pent up frustration. When Project Baltimore first 265 00:16:36,680 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: did the story that you're talking about, we acquired the 266 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:42,840 Speaker 1: student performance data from this year and we found that 267 00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:46,040 Speaker 1: forty one percent of high school students had below a 268 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:49,360 Speaker 1: one GPA. That's below a d average, almost half of 269 00:16:49,360 --> 00:16:53,280 Speaker 1: the high school students in the city. Now, before the pandemic, 270 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,880 Speaker 1: it was twenty four percent. So before the pandemic, it 271 00:16:56,960 --> 00:17:01,360 Speaker 1: was a quarter of all the high school students. Now 272 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:05,200 Speaker 1: it's forty one percent. So there is a lot of frustration. 273 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: And just keep in mind of the other parts of 274 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:10,720 Speaker 1: the interview that we've already discussed about the thirteen high 275 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: schools or the six schools with no kids proficient. You 276 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: have this other school with a point one three GPA 277 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:18,720 Speaker 1: sixty second out of one twenty. Now you got forty 278 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:21,359 Speaker 1: one percent of the kids and the high schools and 279 00:17:21,440 --> 00:17:25,400 Speaker 1: with below a one GPA. These are dire numbers and 280 00:17:25,600 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 1: it's very alarming. And the elected leadership in Baltimore City, 281 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: at least with Project Baltimore, they won't even sit down 282 00:17:34,680 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: for an interview with us to discuss these numbers. It 283 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,760 Speaker 1: doesn't seem like anybody wants to discuss these numbers except 284 00:17:41,840 --> 00:17:44,040 Speaker 1: the people in the community. And there is a lot 285 00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 1: of frustration. It's building. This has been happening for years 286 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: and decades and generations, even but now we actually have 287 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,520 Speaker 1: the numbers that Fox forty five has been digging up, 288 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:56,760 Speaker 1: and we're putting these out there and showing people this 289 00:17:56,880 --> 00:17:59,720 Speaker 1: is the state of our public schools right now. This 290 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: is where we are. The city's trying to deal with 291 00:18:03,359 --> 00:18:06,960 Speaker 1: the violence, trying to deal with the economy that is stagnant, 292 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,159 Speaker 1: trying to deal with population flight, and a lot of 293 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:12,320 Speaker 1: people feel that it all goes back to the school system. 294 00:18:12,320 --> 00:18:14,240 Speaker 1: It all goes back to education. It goes back to 295 00:18:14,240 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: the numbers that we're talking about. The frustrations building. It's there, 296 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:21,399 Speaker 1: Is there going to be changed and what type of 297 00:18:21,480 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: change is there going to be? The people of Baltimore 298 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: are going to have to figure that out. Well, you know, 299 00:18:26,359 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: you've got the standpoint of the taxpayer and citizens around 300 00:18:30,760 --> 00:18:36,200 Speaker 1: the country. The city schools receive fifteen nine and seventy 301 00:18:36,280 --> 00:18:40,680 Speaker 1: three dollars per student every year. So the guy who 302 00:18:41,280 --> 00:18:43,720 Speaker 1: stayed on the rolls two years after he dropped out, 303 00:18:44,720 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: the school received thirty one, nine hundred and forty six 304 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: dollars to educate this one student who says he wasn't there, correct, 305 00:18:54,359 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 1: And yet what we get out of Washington is send 306 00:18:58,280 --> 00:19:01,640 Speaker 1: them more money. Well, that's what we get in Maryland too. 307 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:06,600 Speaker 1: So this past legislative session, Maryland passed a massive spending 308 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: increase for education. And the idea is that if you 309 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:15,080 Speaker 1: put more money into it, the situation will get better, 310 00:19:15,480 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: and maybe it will, maybe it won't. Maryland did the 311 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: same thing in two thousand and one that was called 312 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,119 Speaker 1: the Thornton Plan. The most recent one was called the 313 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,560 Speaker 1: Kerwin Plan the Kerwin Commission, and in two thousand and 314 00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:29,760 Speaker 1: one they did the same thing. They drastically increased the 315 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:32,440 Speaker 1: amount of spending that Maryland was putting into the public 316 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:36,280 Speaker 1: school system. So when they were debating this most recent 317 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,280 Speaker 1: spending increase, we went back and we looked at what 318 00:19:39,320 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: happened in two thousand and one, and we can see 319 00:19:42,320 --> 00:19:47,560 Speaker 1: that Maryland spent a significant amount more on public education 320 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:49,560 Speaker 1: than the rest of the country. When you're looking at 321 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:52,679 Speaker 1: the averages because of the spending increases in two thousand 322 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:56,160 Speaker 1: and one, but everything remained about the same. The graduation 323 00:19:56,240 --> 00:19:59,879 Speaker 1: rate compared to the national average remained about the same. Now, 324 00:20:00,040 --> 00:20:04,560 Speaker 1: National Association of Education Progress NAPE, which does comparison state 325 00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: to states as a federal program, we can see that 326 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,640 Speaker 1: Maryland stayed just about the same as where they were, 327 00:20:11,119 --> 00:20:13,840 Speaker 1: so twenty years ago, Maryland decided that they were going 328 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: to put a lot more money in the public education 329 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: and compare to the national averages. Nothing really changed. This 330 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:24,879 Speaker 1: past legislative session in twenty twenty one, Maryland again voted 331 00:20:24,920 --> 00:20:28,720 Speaker 1: to have a massive spending increase of four billion dollars 332 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:31,359 Speaker 1: in ten years for public education, which comes out to 333 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:34,639 Speaker 1: about thirty two billion dollars in those ten years, because 334 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:37,160 Speaker 1: it's a step up to the four billion. So we'll 335 00:20:37,200 --> 00:20:39,720 Speaker 1: see if that works. This has largely been the solution 336 00:20:40,040 --> 00:20:43,760 Speaker 1: in Maryland that when you have underperforming schools, you give 337 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,680 Speaker 1: them more money and hope for the best. When Eric 338 00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:53,159 Speaker 1: was governor, didn't he try to institute some reforms And 339 00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:57,280 Speaker 1: wasn't there a big backlash? Well, there's been a number 340 00:20:57,320 --> 00:21:00,199 Speaker 1: of times where people have floated a state takeover of 341 00:21:00,280 --> 00:21:04,280 Speaker 1: Baltimore City public schools. Even like the charter school law 342 00:21:04,359 --> 00:21:08,200 Speaker 1: in Baltimore City, there's very few charter schools in Baltimore City. 343 00:21:08,520 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: And even even when that was written, the unions got 344 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:14,800 Speaker 1: into the charter schools, and charter schools in Baltimore and 345 00:21:14,880 --> 00:21:18,160 Speaker 1: Maryland in general are unionized, where in many states they're not. 346 00:21:18,800 --> 00:21:22,520 Speaker 1: The teachers Union in Maryland is very strong, very influential. 347 00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: The Democrats have veto proof majorities in the House and 348 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: the Senate. So Maryland does have a Republican governor, but 349 00:21:30,400 --> 00:21:33,760 Speaker 1: the governor is up against veto proof majorities in both 350 00:21:33,840 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 1: chambers of the legislature. I'll give you an example. We 351 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,760 Speaker 1: talked about the Crowing Commission about the spending increase for 352 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:43,680 Speaker 1: this year for education. The governor vetoed it, but the 353 00:21:43,800 --> 00:21:47,480 Speaker 1: legislature overrode his veto and it passed into law. So 354 00:21:47,560 --> 00:21:51,080 Speaker 1: in Maryland it is largely a one party rule state. 355 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:54,359 Speaker 1: And with the veto proof majorities that the Democrats have 356 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 1: in the House and the Senate, they run the show. 357 00:21:56,440 --> 00:22:00,880 Speaker 1: One of their largest campaign contributors are the teachers unions. 358 00:22:00,920 --> 00:22:03,960 Speaker 1: So there's not a lot of substantial change that you 359 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:07,440 Speaker 1: see in the education system as a whole in how 360 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: it operates, except for the amount of money that is 361 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:15,879 Speaker 1: being put into it. What's the teachers unions explanation for 362 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:20,879 Speaker 1: the kind of outcome they're getting. They won't talk to us. Okay. 363 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:24,720 Speaker 1: Over the past year and a half, the teachers unions 364 00:22:24,800 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 1: have been very vocal about students not returning to the 365 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:30,960 Speaker 1: classroom and if we're going to talk about the forty 366 00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,040 Speaker 1: one percent. We'll go back to that high school students 367 00:22:33,040 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 1: with below a d GPA. They were very vocal in 368 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:39,800 Speaker 1: not sending the kids back into the classroom. Well, now 369 00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,280 Speaker 1: that we have this performance data, we've been reaching out 370 00:22:42,280 --> 00:22:45,040 Speaker 1: to the Maryland State Education Association, which is the main 371 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:48,200 Speaker 1: teachers union in the state, and the Baltimore Teachers Union 372 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,040 Speaker 1: in Baltimore City. They don't have anything to say. They 373 00:22:51,040 --> 00:22:52,679 Speaker 1: don't want to do an interview with us, they're not 374 00:22:52,720 --> 00:22:56,960 Speaker 1: giving us statements. They're just not saying anything. So it 375 00:22:57,119 --> 00:23:01,720 Speaker 1: seems that when there's some thing that favors them or 376 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,359 Speaker 1: something that they want, they're out talking about it. But 377 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 1: now that we see the result of those decisions when 378 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: it comes to student based outcomes, now all of a sudden, 379 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:14,840 Speaker 1: they don't want to talk about it. So I wish, 380 00:23:14,880 --> 00:23:16,879 Speaker 1: mister speaker, that I could answer your question as to 381 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:20,040 Speaker 1: what they say. They won't not just do an interview, 382 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:22,760 Speaker 1: they won't even give us a statement. I mean, they're 383 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,480 Speaker 1: just quiet on this matter and not saying a thing, 384 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,880 Speaker 1: which is unfortunate for the taxpayers of Maryland that are 385 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:33,600 Speaker 1: funding all of this. But more so it's unfortunate for 386 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:37,159 Speaker 1: the students, and how are these students going to catch up? 387 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,440 Speaker 1: How are they going to come out of this whole 388 00:23:40,200 --> 00:23:44,560 Speaker 1: that same data, we found that fifty seven percent of 389 00:23:44,680 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 1: elementary and middle school students are failing at least one course. 390 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: Teachers unions won't talk about that either. Out of the 391 00:23:51,840 --> 00:23:56,680 Speaker 1: whole high school student body, what percent actually do well 392 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 1: enough to go to college. That's a tough question because 393 00:23:59,520 --> 00:24:03,120 Speaker 1: it all depends on how you analyze the data. As 394 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:07,720 Speaker 1: far as how many students are going to college. Right now, 395 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 1: there's a sixty nine percent graduation rate in Baltimore City, 396 00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,840 Speaker 1: so in four years, sixty nine percent of the students 397 00:24:15,880 --> 00:24:20,640 Speaker 1: are graduating. And now the college enrollment rate is down 398 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,720 Speaker 1: to about fifty percent, so that would be fifty percent 399 00:24:23,840 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: of the sixty nine percent. So I think you're probably 400 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: looking at the number of kids that get accepted into 401 00:24:29,400 --> 00:24:33,280 Speaker 1: college would be somewhere around thirty to thirty five percent. 402 00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,280 Speaker 1: But that college would be all the colleges, and in 403 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: Maryland community colleges, you don't even need a high school 404 00:24:40,280 --> 00:24:42,520 Speaker 1: diploma and you can go to community college. They don't 405 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:46,119 Speaker 1: require it. It's a hard question to answer. It depends 406 00:24:46,119 --> 00:24:48,359 Speaker 1: on how you look at the data. And it's also 407 00:24:48,440 --> 00:24:51,800 Speaker 1: significant to point out that in Maryland, you don't need 408 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: a high school diploma to attend many of the community colleges. 409 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:15,720 Speaker 1: You have very high turnover in the schools in terms 410 00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:20,159 Speaker 1: of teachers, and you have very high administrative costs in 411 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:25,040 Speaker 1: terms of principles of system, principles, etc. The kids really 412 00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:27,680 Speaker 1: are sort of left behind, aren't they. I mean, they're 413 00:25:27,680 --> 00:25:30,359 Speaker 1: the excuse for getting the check, but they're not the 414 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:33,600 Speaker 1: focus of the system. There's a lot of talk about 415 00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:37,280 Speaker 1: that in Baltimore City of what is the focus of 416 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:40,399 Speaker 1: the system. Is the focus of the system, The money 417 00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:42,720 Speaker 1: is the focus of the system. The adults, there's the 418 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: focus of the system. Kids. And the answer to that 419 00:25:45,800 --> 00:25:48,639 Speaker 1: all depends on who you're going to talk to. And 420 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:50,640 Speaker 1: I think that if you just look at the raw 421 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:56,120 Speaker 1: data and everything that we have spoken about in this interview, 422 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:58,960 Speaker 1: we talked about the thirteen high schools of sixteen schools, 423 00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:02,800 Speaker 1: the point one THREEPA, We talked about the fifty seven 424 00:26:02,840 --> 00:26:05,560 Speaker 1: percent of elementary and middle school students failing one grade, 425 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,640 Speaker 1: the forty one percent of high school students with below 426 00:26:07,760 --> 00:26:11,200 Speaker 1: one GPA. I think that a lot of people would 427 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:15,840 Speaker 1: say that if you look at those outcomes, it's kind 428 00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: of hard to make an argument that the priority of 429 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:21,040 Speaker 1: the school system is to educate the kids because you've 430 00:26:21,040 --> 00:26:23,600 Speaker 1: got a majority of the kids right now in elementary 431 00:26:23,600 --> 00:26:26,000 Speaker 1: and middle school or failing at least one course or more, 432 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:29,800 Speaker 1: meaning a minority is actually passing all of their classes. 433 00:26:30,359 --> 00:26:34,160 Speaker 1: The future for the city is going to be dependent 434 00:26:34,200 --> 00:26:36,040 Speaker 1: on the type of education that the students in the 435 00:26:36,040 --> 00:26:39,680 Speaker 1: school system right now are getting, and you're seeing people 436 00:26:40,000 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: essentially voting with their feet. They're leaving. The population of 437 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,560 Speaker 1: Baltimore is going down fast. I think it's the fastest 438 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: shrinking large city in America right now, and the education 439 00:26:50,600 --> 00:26:54,199 Speaker 1: system is the same thing. We're seeing that the past 440 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,240 Speaker 1: four years. I think they're down about ten thousand students 441 00:26:57,359 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: in the public education system, and people who can, who 442 00:27:01,280 --> 00:27:04,440 Speaker 1: have the means to they're trying to find other ways 443 00:27:04,440 --> 00:27:08,160 Speaker 1: to educate their kids despite the failure of the whole 444 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:13,320 Speaker 1: system in ways that are demonstrable if I understand it correctly, 445 00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:16,840 Speaker 1: the chief executive officer makes three hundred and fifty thousand 446 00:27:16,880 --> 00:27:21,479 Speaker 1: a year. Correct Doctor Sony Santelisis is the CEO of 447 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:24,639 Speaker 1: Baltimore City Schools last year she made three hundred and 448 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:29,480 Speaker 1: fifty thousand dollars. She is the highest paid school superintendent 449 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:34,240 Speaker 1: in the state who oversees what is arguably the lowest 450 00:27:34,280 --> 00:27:36,960 Speaker 1: performing school system in the state. Now, if we want 451 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:39,760 Speaker 1: to put that into perspective, three hundred and fifty thousand 452 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:43,120 Speaker 1: dollars to run a school system with about seventy five 453 00:27:43,280 --> 00:27:46,920 Speaker 1: thousand students. So you look at New York City, for example, 454 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:50,439 Speaker 1: the superintendent of New York City Public Schools has a 455 00:27:50,600 --> 00:27:54,920 Speaker 1: million kids in that school system, a million. He makes 456 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:57,840 Speaker 1: about three hundred and seventy thousand dollars a year living 457 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:01,640 Speaker 1: in New York City. Baltimore, our city has about seventy 458 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:05,919 Speaker 1: five thousand kids, a fraction of what New York City has, 459 00:28:06,320 --> 00:28:10,400 Speaker 1: and our superintendent here makes three hundred and fifty thousand 460 00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:13,560 Speaker 1: dollars a year, almost the exact same as the leader 461 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:16,560 Speaker 1: of a school system with a million kids in a 462 00:28:16,680 --> 00:28:19,320 Speaker 1: much more expensive place to live. We talked a little 463 00:28:19,359 --> 00:28:22,840 Speaker 1: bit about the frustration building in Baltimore City for a 464 00:28:22,840 --> 00:28:25,840 Speaker 1: better education system, and that's part of it. Taxpayers in 465 00:28:25,840 --> 00:28:28,560 Speaker 1: the city are saying, you know, we're paying our CEO 466 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:31,199 Speaker 1: three hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year. Are we 467 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:34,160 Speaker 1: getting a return on that investment? We're now looking at 468 00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:37,160 Speaker 1: the numbers a project Baltimore is digging up and reporting 469 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:40,480 Speaker 1: and filing public records requests to get Now we're looking 470 00:28:40,640 --> 00:28:43,480 Speaker 1: at where our kids are and we're looking at a 471 00:28:43,520 --> 00:28:46,480 Speaker 1: three hundred and forty thousand dollars salary for just this 472 00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 1: one position. Just the CEO and the taxpayers, I think 473 00:28:51,280 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: from what we're seeing are really starting to question are 474 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,360 Speaker 1: they getting their money's worth. I did a series of 475 00:28:56,400 --> 00:29:01,720 Speaker 1: tweets about what's happening, and I got some pushback from 476 00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:06,400 Speaker 1: the woman who is the education reporter at the Baltimore Sun, 477 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: who said my facts were wrong, this wasn't really accurate, etc. 478 00:29:11,480 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 1: Are their defenders of a system in which over half 479 00:29:16,560 --> 00:29:20,200 Speaker 1: the students get less than a D average. There is 480 00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:27,560 Speaker 1: certainly a certain status quo that has become sort of 481 00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,080 Speaker 1: cultural in Baltimore City. I think that a lot of 482 00:29:31,080 --> 00:29:33,480 Speaker 1: people that are listening to us right now, if they 483 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: found out that thirteen of their area high schools had 484 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,760 Speaker 1: zero kids proficient math, they would probably think to themselves, 485 00:29:41,200 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 1: we need to change that. We need to change it now. 486 00:29:44,000 --> 00:29:46,400 Speaker 1: If they found out that fifty seven percent of their 487 00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:49,920 Speaker 1: elementary and middle school students were failing at least one 488 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,479 Speaker 1: course or the forty one percent with a point one 489 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:54,840 Speaker 1: three everything that we're talking about. I think a lot 490 00:29:54,840 --> 00:29:58,520 Speaker 1: of people listening to this wouldn't accept that, and they 491 00:29:58,560 --> 00:30:01,480 Speaker 1: would say this needs a change, This needs a change. Now. 492 00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:04,840 Speaker 1: We are not putting our kids in a position where 493 00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,560 Speaker 1: they are going to be able to thrive in the 494 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:10,680 Speaker 1: future with these type of educational outcomes. In Baltimore City, though, 495 00:30:10,680 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 1: there hasn't been that. As I said that, the teachers 496 00:30:13,280 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: unions won't even talk about it. We've reached out to 497 00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:18,600 Speaker 1: the mayor and the president of city Council. They won't 498 00:30:18,680 --> 00:30:21,640 Speaker 1: talk about it. They won't discuss these numbers with us. 499 00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 1: The school system will not discuss these numbers with us. 500 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:29,560 Speaker 1: They send us statements, but they haven't actually done an 501 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:33,760 Speaker 1: interview with us in three years. They haven't agreed to 502 00:30:33,760 --> 00:30:36,640 Speaker 1: sit down to discuss anything that you and I are 503 00:30:36,680 --> 00:30:41,080 Speaker 1: talking about right now in three years. It's hard for 504 00:30:41,120 --> 00:30:43,080 Speaker 1: a lot of people to listen to that and think 505 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:46,000 Speaker 1: that how can these numbers be accepted and how can 506 00:30:46,040 --> 00:30:49,600 Speaker 1: there not be outrage? But the reality is in Baltimore, 507 00:30:50,080 --> 00:30:53,480 Speaker 1: at least among the leadership in the city. There's not outrage, 508 00:30:54,240 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: and it may be the sure power of the teachers 509 00:30:57,720 --> 00:31:03,200 Speaker 1: union makes it impossible to be outraged because the cost 510 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: would be too great. I'll give you any example. So 511 00:31:05,960 --> 00:31:09,400 Speaker 1: in January of this year, the CEO of the school 512 00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:13,760 Speaker 1: system came out and warned that the educational outcomes are 513 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:16,280 Speaker 1: going to be dire when we find out what they are. 514 00:31:16,720 --> 00:31:20,760 Speaker 1: She came out and she said that virtual learning is 515 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: not working for a majority of our kids. Now we 516 00:31:24,680 --> 00:31:26,959 Speaker 1: know the numbers, but back then we didn't, and she 517 00:31:27,080 --> 00:31:29,600 Speaker 1: was just warning everybody we got to get these kids 518 00:31:29,680 --> 00:31:34,360 Speaker 1: back into school. This is where many of them learn better. Well, 519 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:37,600 Speaker 1: the teachers unions essentially said no, we're not going back, 520 00:31:37,680 --> 00:31:41,120 Speaker 1: and they didn't and now we're seeing the results of it, 521 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,520 Speaker 1: and now they won't speak about it. So there was 522 00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:48,440 Speaker 1: this recognition that this is going to be really bad, 523 00:31:48,560 --> 00:31:51,280 Speaker 1: like we need to get back into the schools, and 524 00:31:51,360 --> 00:31:54,160 Speaker 1: the unions just said no. So if you're asking who 525 00:31:54,160 --> 00:31:57,480 Speaker 1: has the power, I think that watching all of that 526 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:01,320 Speaker 1: play out, and the CEO, again, the highest paid one 527 00:32:01,360 --> 00:32:03,800 Speaker 1: that we just talked about in Maryland, is saying, let's 528 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: get back into the school system. And she did not 529 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 1: get her way because the union said, we don't want 530 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:12,160 Speaker 1: to go back in, and the parents, by the way, 531 00:32:12,560 --> 00:32:16,280 Speaker 1: wanted at least an option. Just give us the option 532 00:32:16,680 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: of a hybrid model or something that we can choose 533 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:23,800 Speaker 1: instead of this one size fits all virtual learning. So 534 00:32:23,920 --> 00:32:27,120 Speaker 1: the parents didn't get what they wanted, the superintendent didn't 535 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:30,440 Speaker 1: get what she wanted, The unions got what they wanted. 536 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,920 Speaker 1: So that might tell you who has most of the influence, 537 00:32:34,040 --> 00:32:37,160 Speaker 1: at least in Baltimore City. Can you look forward to 538 00:32:37,200 --> 00:32:41,440 Speaker 1: a positive future where at some point the parents and 539 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:44,840 Speaker 1: the voters and the non union parts of the city 540 00:32:45,440 --> 00:32:49,120 Speaker 1: come together, maybe with the governor, maybe with the federal government, 541 00:32:49,680 --> 00:32:55,560 Speaker 1: and decide that teaching the students is the number one 542 00:32:55,600 --> 00:33:00,960 Speaker 1: goal and that basically funding the schools based on outcome 543 00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:05,280 Speaker 1: and on performance is the only way to force the 544 00:33:05,400 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: level of change we need, and potentially to have genuine 545 00:33:09,720 --> 00:33:13,520 Speaker 1: personal choice so that people can pick the school they 546 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:17,120 Speaker 1: think fits their child without it automatically having to be 547 00:33:17,160 --> 00:33:21,000 Speaker 1: a teachers' union school. I mean, can you imagine in 548 00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,680 Speaker 1: the next five or ten years getting to that kind 549 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:29,520 Speaker 1: of positive outcome. The law that was just passed earlier 550 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:32,360 Speaker 1: this year that we spoke about the Curwin Commission that 551 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:34,920 Speaker 1: drastically increased the amount of funding is going to be 552 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:39,320 Speaker 1: going into public schools that was designed to do what 553 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:43,440 Speaker 1: you just said. It was designed to create better educational 554 00:33:43,600 --> 00:33:47,720 Speaker 1: outcomes for students. Most of that money is going to 555 00:33:47,760 --> 00:33:53,760 Speaker 1: increased salaries, increased salaries for education employees, and the hope 556 00:33:54,280 --> 00:33:58,760 Speaker 1: is that that will create a better system than what 557 00:33:58,800 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: we have now. And there's other aspects of the Curwin 558 00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,280 Speaker 1: Commission and what Maryland passed. There are some accountability measures 559 00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:10,720 Speaker 1: in there, increases in the type of requirements for teacher certificates. 560 00:34:11,040 --> 00:34:14,319 Speaker 1: There's things along that nature. If you're asking, are there 561 00:34:14,320 --> 00:34:18,280 Speaker 1: going to be any significant changes in the school system, 562 00:34:18,880 --> 00:34:21,920 Speaker 1: I don't see that happening. For example, there are no 563 00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:25,520 Speaker 1: elected officials in Baltimore City public schools. The school board 564 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:29,480 Speaker 1: is not elected. The school board is appointed the superintendent, 565 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,280 Speaker 1: the CEO is not elected, she's appointed by the school board. 566 00:34:32,680 --> 00:34:35,479 Speaker 1: So within the school system that gets one point four 567 00:34:35,520 --> 00:34:39,279 Speaker 1: billion dollars a year, there is no one held accountable 568 00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,800 Speaker 1: to the taxpayer. The taxpayer has no ability to fire 569 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:46,440 Speaker 1: or hire school board members or anybody in that school system, 570 00:34:46,840 --> 00:34:49,600 Speaker 1: even though they get that much money every year. So 571 00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:54,040 Speaker 1: how does a taxpayer or a parent in Baltimore City 572 00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,799 Speaker 1: hold the school system accountable when they quite literally have 573 00:34:58,040 --> 00:35:02,000 Speaker 1: no power over that school system. They have power over 574 00:35:02,040 --> 00:35:04,799 Speaker 1: the mayor because the mayor's elected, they have power over 575 00:35:04,880 --> 00:35:07,360 Speaker 1: city council members they're elected, but not the school board. 576 00:35:07,800 --> 00:35:11,919 Speaker 1: And in twenty twenty two, there will be two additional 577 00:35:11,960 --> 00:35:15,520 Speaker 1: school board members going on Baltimore City school Board that 578 00:35:15,680 --> 00:35:18,880 Speaker 1: will be elected, so they're going from I believe nine 579 00:35:19,120 --> 00:35:22,239 Speaker 1: to eleven, but those other nine are still going to 580 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:25,200 Speaker 1: be appointed. And as of right now, and as it 581 00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:29,000 Speaker 1: has been for years, there's been no elected officials anywhere 582 00:35:29,120 --> 00:35:31,440 Speaker 1: in the school system. And I think that a lot 583 00:35:31,480 --> 00:35:33,560 Speaker 1: of people are frustrated with that as well because they 584 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:35,839 Speaker 1: don't have anybody to go to if they have an 585 00:35:35,880 --> 00:35:39,320 Speaker 1: issue except and I'm not saying this to pat ourselves 586 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,279 Speaker 1: in the back, but the only people they can go 587 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:43,560 Speaker 1: to is the media. They go to the media. They 588 00:35:43,560 --> 00:35:46,319 Speaker 1: come the Project Baltimore in Fox forty five and say, hey, 589 00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:49,200 Speaker 1: can you tell my story? Can you bring this delight? 590 00:35:49,480 --> 00:35:53,279 Speaker 1: Because I don't have anyone else to go to to 591 00:35:53,320 --> 00:35:56,360 Speaker 1: try to affect positive change. Oh yes, I'm a perennial 592 00:35:56,360 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 1: optimist in it. The American system sets amazing rejuvenative capabilities 593 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,399 Speaker 1: and the sheer numbers to think exactly what you are 594 00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:10,880 Speaker 1: reporting on, exactly what you are laying out. And I 595 00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:14,200 Speaker 1: hope your second book will be on the Baltimore City 596 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:19,240 Speaker 1: schools because it is a case study in a system 597 00:36:19,280 --> 00:36:22,880 Speaker 1: which has been taken over by itself and serves itself 598 00:36:23,360 --> 00:36:26,719 Speaker 1: and is happy to be a parasite on both the community, 599 00:36:26,760 --> 00:36:30,200 Speaker 1: the students, the parents, and the taxpayers. And so there's 600 00:36:30,239 --> 00:36:34,080 Speaker 1: a huge amount of learning which you're currently doing, which 601 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:38,320 Speaker 1: every American should know about, because this is an actually normal, 602 00:36:38,520 --> 00:36:42,040 Speaker 1: routine problem of human beings. The Lord Acton once said 603 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:46,600 Speaker 1: that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, 604 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,000 Speaker 1: and you get these kinds of big systems. If they 605 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,600 Speaker 1: have absolute power, they serve themselves. They don't serve the students, 606 00:36:53,920 --> 00:36:56,240 Speaker 1: they don't serve the parents, they don't serve the community. 607 00:36:56,440 --> 00:36:59,520 Speaker 1: They serve themselves. So I think what you're doing is 608 00:36:59,560 --> 00:37:03,080 Speaker 1: remarkably historic. I hope you will decide at some point 609 00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:06,520 Speaker 1: to write a book on it. And it's kind of 610 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,040 Speaker 1: amazing what you're learning. And I want to thank you, 611 00:37:09,120 --> 00:37:13,520 Speaker 1: Chris for joining us and helping bring the country up 612 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:17,719 Speaker 1: to speed on what's happening in Baltimore City. Well, thank you, 613 00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:20,800 Speaker 1: mister speaker. I appreciate you having me on what we're 614 00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:24,480 Speaker 1: talking about. I think that this is happening in other 615 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:28,480 Speaker 1: school systems around the country. It's just that Fox forty 616 00:37:28,480 --> 00:37:31,880 Speaker 1: five has created this team Project Baltimore, and this is 617 00:37:32,040 --> 00:37:34,799 Speaker 1: all that we do. The only thing that we do 618 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:37,280 Speaker 1: is we look into education in the state of Maryland 619 00:37:37,560 --> 00:37:40,719 Speaker 1: and in the Baltimore region, in this city that there's 620 00:37:40,800 --> 00:37:43,040 Speaker 1: kind of like those that really appreciate what we're doing, 621 00:37:43,120 --> 00:37:46,520 Speaker 1: and there's those that think that we are essentially just 622 00:37:46,600 --> 00:37:49,080 Speaker 1: beating up on the city. But everything that we've talked 623 00:37:49,120 --> 00:37:53,400 Speaker 1: about here is real. These numbers are real. This is 624 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,319 Speaker 1: what is actually happening, and this is the state of 625 00:37:56,400 --> 00:37:59,680 Speaker 1: Baltimore City public schools at a time when Baltimore is 626 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:05,200 Speaker 1: dealing with an unfortunate amount of murders and violence in 627 00:38:05,239 --> 00:38:09,520 Speaker 1: this city, and the school system is the way out, 628 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:13,239 Speaker 1: is the way to improve this city, is a way 629 00:38:13,239 --> 00:38:16,320 Speaker 1: to improve the country through a better public education system. 630 00:38:16,400 --> 00:38:18,200 Speaker 1: And all that we're trying to do is to shed 631 00:38:18,239 --> 00:38:20,920 Speaker 1: some light on what's going on. Let the voters, let 632 00:38:20,920 --> 00:38:24,000 Speaker 1: the taxpayers know what the state of their school system 633 00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:26,319 Speaker 1: is and give them the information that they can have 634 00:38:26,800 --> 00:38:29,719 Speaker 1: to try to better that school system for themselves and 635 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:32,400 Speaker 1: their kids in the future of the city. That's great, 636 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:35,760 Speaker 1: but we look forward to continuing to track your work 637 00:38:35,760 --> 00:38:39,600 Speaker 1: and your investigations, and I commend you for a really 638 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:48,080 Speaker 1: remarkable job. Thank you, sir, I appreciate it. Thank you 639 00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:50,800 Speaker 1: to my guess, Chris Papst. You can get a link 640 00:38:50,840 --> 00:38:56,160 Speaker 1: to Sinclair's Fox forty five project Baltimore reporting on our 641 00:38:56,200 --> 00:39:00,400 Speaker 1: show page at newsworld dot com. News World is produced 642 00:39:00,719 --> 00:39:06,000 Speaker 1: by gingwish Street sixty and iHeartMedia. Our executive producer is 643 00:39:06,040 --> 00:39:10,759 Speaker 1: Debbie Myers, our producer is Gornsey Slope, and our researcher 644 00:39:11,239 --> 00:39:14,880 Speaker 1: is Rachel Peterson. You all work for the show was 645 00:39:14,960 --> 00:39:18,640 Speaker 1: created by Steve Pendley special thanks to the team at 646 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:22,719 Speaker 1: Gingwistre sixty. If you've been enjoying news World, I hope 647 00:39:22,719 --> 00:39:25,880 Speaker 1: you'll go to Apple Podcast and both rate us with 648 00:39:25,960 --> 00:39:29,560 Speaker 1: five stars and give us a review so others can 649 00:39:29,640 --> 00:39:33,160 Speaker 1: learn what it's all about. Right now, listeners of news 650 00:39:33,200 --> 00:39:37,239 Speaker 1: World can sign up from my three free weekly columns 651 00:39:37,520 --> 00:39:42,560 Speaker 1: at gingwish Street sixty dot com slash newsletter. I'm Newt Gingridge. 652 00:39:43,040 --> 00:39:44,080 Speaker 1: This is news world,