1 00:00:02,880 --> 00:00:09,720 Speaker 1: Hey, everybody, welcome to shop Talk number seventeen. I'm gonna 2 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: venture off into a place that will probably make some 3 00:00:13,160 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: people uncomfortable, but I don't care because I've kind of 4 00:00:19,079 --> 00:00:24,599 Speaker 1: had it. We got to educate our children, and today's 5 00:00:24,600 --> 00:00:29,800 Speaker 1: shop Talk is going to be about our failure to 6 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: educate our children. We'll talk about that right after these 7 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:50,519 Speaker 1: brief messages from our general sponsors. Hey everybody, it's Bill Courtney. 8 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:53,440 Speaker 1: Welcome back to shop Talk. I'm going to try to 9 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:56,160 Speaker 1: do this without being preachy or getting on my soapbox, 10 00:00:58,840 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: but I think it's time we wake up. If right now, 11 00:01:03,080 --> 00:01:11,920 Speaker 1: in any political race you list the top most important issues, 12 00:01:12,880 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: it's almost always economy. James Carvill, Bill Clinton's advisor, very 13 00:01:23,600 --> 00:01:29,200 Speaker 1: famously said, it's about the economy, stupid. And the funny 14 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:32,000 Speaker 1: thing is the closer you get toward an election day, 15 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:39,839 Speaker 1: the more the issues get heavier and heavier weighted toward 16 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: the economy. That's always in the top. Safety is a 17 00:01:44,280 --> 00:01:49,680 Speaker 1: big one this year, abortion is a big one. There's 18 00:01:49,920 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: all kinds of list of issues. Education is always given 19 00:01:55,200 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: a spot among the issues and elections, and it's always 20 00:02:00,040 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: on the totem pole. And what we got to understand 21 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: is the economy, crime, poverty. All of the issues that 22 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:19,960 Speaker 1: exist above our attention to the issue of education exist 23 00:02:20,720 --> 00:02:24,600 Speaker 1: because of a poor education, and the irony of it is. 24 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:29,919 Speaker 1: The whole thing's flipped upside down. In my opinion. If 25 00:02:29,919 --> 00:02:31,520 Speaker 1: you listen to me long enough, you know I'm a 26 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 1: native Memphian. I love my city. I talk positively about 27 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:38,600 Speaker 1: it every time I can. I will talk about the 28 00:02:38,639 --> 00:02:40,840 Speaker 1: Peabody and the Beast Pro Shop. And I know that 29 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,200 Speaker 1: sounds ridiculous for anybody I hadn't been to Memphis, but 30 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,120 Speaker 1: if you come go to the Pass Pro Shop, it's incredible. 31 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 1: It's got the largest Fleaer standing elevator in the world, Graceland, 32 00:02:50,840 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: Sun Studios, Bill Street, our barbecue, which is far better 33 00:02:55,680 --> 00:02:57,760 Speaker 1: than anything else you're going to find in Kansas City, 34 00:02:57,840 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: North Carolina, or Texas. It's just an oprain. Sorry for 35 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: those listeners from those areas. Just come on into Memphis. 36 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: We'll show you how it's really done. The music heritage, 37 00:03:09,120 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 1: our business heritage, the fact that FedEx was founded and 38 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 1: started here and changed the way the world does business. 39 00:03:17,440 --> 00:03:22,400 Speaker 1: AutoZone founded and headquartered here, termin X founded here. Pigley Wiggly, 40 00:03:22,440 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: the first supermarket ever made was founded here. The way 41 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: we travel was founded here. Kimmins Wilson invented the first 42 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,359 Speaker 1: chain hotel called Holiday Inns, and the Marriott and the Hiltons, 43 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: and all of those things were born from Kimmins Wilson's 44 00:03:38,520 --> 00:03:41,960 Speaker 1: idea there is something in the water around Memphis that 45 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:47,520 Speaker 1: inspires entrepreneurism. Per capita, Memphis is always ranked in the 46 00:03:47,560 --> 00:03:52,320 Speaker 1: top three of the most philanthropic cities on the planet. 47 00:03:53,240 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 1: Just interviewed, somebody told me we were there again number 48 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,680 Speaker 1: one this year. Per capita, we give more than any 49 00:03:58,680 --> 00:04:01,680 Speaker 1: other city in the country. Memphis has a lot going 50 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: for it, but it's got a lot. Oh Elon Musk 51 00:04:04,960 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: is building the world's largest supercomputer here. I don't think 52 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:11,040 Speaker 1: Elon Musk would have put that here if Memphis didn't 53 00:04:11,040 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: have some things going forward. We've got a natural aquifer. 54 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: We've got the cleanest of one of the cleanest water 55 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,679 Speaker 1: systems in the world. We've got a number of people 56 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:23,560 Speaker 1: who are from Memphis generationally who continue to fight and 57 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,560 Speaker 1: invest in the city. And it is a good place. 58 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,839 Speaker 1: But it also has its problems. We have out of 59 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:36,160 Speaker 1: control crime, we have way too much poverty, we have 60 00:04:36,640 --> 00:04:41,720 Speaker 1: dilapidated neighborhoods that lead to blight. We've got a lot 61 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 1: of issues, but they all start with education. And not 62 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: long ago, this was shared with the Memphis public by 63 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:02,760 Speaker 1: the new school superintendent. And they're dark numbers that are scary, 64 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:09,480 Speaker 1: but are not at all unrepresentative of other school districts 65 00:05:09,520 --> 00:05:13,559 Speaker 1: in large municipalities across our country. Not all, but many, 66 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: and I want to share them with you. The district 67 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,400 Speaker 1: comprises about one hundred and ten thousand students, that is 68 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:28,240 Speaker 1: the Shelby County School District. Shockingly, seventy eight percent of 69 00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: students are not reading proficiently as determined by the State 70 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:34,720 Speaker 1: of Tennessee. Based on that enrollment figure of one hundred 71 00:05:34,760 --> 00:05:38,320 Speaker 1: and ten thousand, that means that eighty five thousand, eight 72 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 1: hundred students aren't reading proficiently. Eighty five thousand and seventy 73 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: eight percent can't read on grade level. Eighty three percent 74 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:55,240 Speaker 1: of students are not demonstrating proficiency in mathematics. Is determined 75 00:05:55,240 --> 00:05:58,440 Speaker 1: by the state, that number is ninety one thy three hundred. Guys. 76 00:05:58,440 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: We're not talking about people making ADA and bs, We're 77 00:06:01,520 --> 00:06:08,159 Speaker 1: just talking about proficient meeting the minimum standard. Shelby County 78 00:06:08,160 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: school system has a fifty one percent absentee rate that's 79 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:19,479 Speaker 1: chronic and a forty one forty one percent truancy rate. 80 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 1: That absentee rate translates to more than fifty six thousand kids, 81 00:06:25,200 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 1: and the truancy rate translates to more than forty five 82 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:34,679 Speaker 1: thousand kids. Forty five thousand kids truant forty one percent. 83 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 1: The school system has nearly a fifteen percent dropout rate. 84 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 1: Seventy six schools receive a state designated letter grade or 85 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:52,080 Speaker 1: D or F, and fewer than fifteen schools in the 86 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:56,320 Speaker 1: entire district reach a ninety percent or higher graduation rate. 87 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:03,719 Speaker 1: That's a dropout rate of more than sixteen thousand students annually. 88 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:09,680 Speaker 1: And where do those sixteen thousand students go. They go 89 00:07:09,720 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: into poverty. They end up getting arrested for not being 90 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,760 Speaker 1: able to pay for a driver's license or tag, or 91 00:07:19,960 --> 00:07:23,680 Speaker 1: getting two or three citations and not paying them and 92 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:29,480 Speaker 1: getting a bench warrant, and so goes the cycle. Certainly, 93 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: many of them get into other types of crime, and 94 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,760 Speaker 1: at the very least, hope is lost, because when you 95 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:42,400 Speaker 1: can't read, and you can't do basic math, and you 96 00:07:42,480 --> 00:07:46,440 Speaker 1: don't go to school and you're not held accountable to 97 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: absenteeism and truancy. How in the hell do you ever 98 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: think you're going to keep a job if you're raised 99 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:55,600 Speaker 1: to understand that not showing up on time or showing 100 00:07:55,680 --> 00:07:58,200 Speaker 1: up at all, and then not doing what you're supposed 101 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: to do when you get there, it leads to anything. 102 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,720 Speaker 1: But we are teaching between forty five and seventy eight 103 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: percent of our students every single year that very lesson 104 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:14,679 Speaker 1: show up. If you want to, don't. If you don't 105 00:08:15,480 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: when you get here, you don't even have to. Eighty 106 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,680 Speaker 1: percent of you don't even have to complete minimum standards. 107 00:08:23,440 --> 00:08:26,840 Speaker 1: But because you age will advance you and will push 108 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:30,880 Speaker 1: you through this broken system, and you either drop out 109 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:37,480 Speaker 1: or graduate largely unprepared forget for college, unprepared for a job. 110 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:42,000 Speaker 1: Because if truancy and absenteeism and not even meeting basic 111 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,520 Speaker 1: standards is what gets you through a system, why in 112 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:50,679 Speaker 1: the world would anybody ever think that you're ready to 113 00:08:50,760 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: take on a job. And we all know that once 114 00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: you're out of that system and you read the real 115 00:08:56,520 --> 00:09:01,080 Speaker 1: world and you are truant and absent and can't meet 116 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:05,000 Speaker 1: the basic standards for employment, you will end up fired, 117 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:10,520 Speaker 1: you will end up on the state's payroll, either in 118 00:09:10,559 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: prison or for your sustenance. And so goes our culture, 119 00:09:17,800 --> 00:09:22,160 Speaker 1: and so goes our society. How long do we put 120 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,840 Speaker 1: up with it? How long do we allow our property 121 00:09:25,880 --> 00:09:30,360 Speaker 1: tax dollars, our sales stock dollars? How long do we 122 00:09:30,400 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 1: can do? The largest, the largest single line item on 123 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: a city or county's budget is their school system. The 124 00:09:39,720 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 1: vast majority of the taxes we pay as citizens go 125 00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: to support the school system. And if your school system 126 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:55,199 Speaker 1: is operating like the Shelby County School System is, which 127 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:59,320 Speaker 1: in Chicago it is, and Baltimore it is, and Little 128 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:03,200 Speaker 1: Rocket is, and Jackson, Mississippi it is, and in far 129 00:10:03,320 --> 00:10:08,680 Speaker 1: more places it is operating this way, if the school 130 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:11,720 Speaker 1: system has the temerity or you have the gumption to 131 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,040 Speaker 1: go find out the real numbers, you will be shocked 132 00:10:16,320 --> 00:10:23,160 Speaker 1: by our chronic failure. Yet we continue, election by election, 133 00:10:23,679 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: cycle by cycle, to put the same people on the 134 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:30,760 Speaker 1: city council, to put the same people on the school board, 135 00:10:31,200 --> 00:10:35,160 Speaker 1: to pay the same taxes, and that same money to 136 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: be siphoned down the drain. Yet we find ourselves more 137 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:48,240 Speaker 1: interested in the economy and crime prevention and homelessness and poverty. 138 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: One of my guests recently said something that I love. 139 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:57,200 Speaker 1: You can pull babies out of the river so that 140 00:10:57,240 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: they don't drown, all you want, but eventually you need 141 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:04,520 Speaker 1: to go up river and find out why they're dropping 142 00:11:04,559 --> 00:11:07,880 Speaker 1: in the water in the first place. And it's happening 143 00:11:07,920 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: in our education system and also in our families, because 144 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:17,000 Speaker 1: if you've got a forty one percent truancy rate, what 145 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:22,160 Speaker 1: in goodness name are the parents doing? I don't know 146 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 1: what the answer is on that. Maybe we should. We 147 00:11:25,120 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 1: got to come up with a way to not only 148 00:11:26,679 --> 00:11:29,200 Speaker 1: hold the children accountable, but their children who aren't hold 149 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,959 Speaker 1: that their parents who aren't holding them accountable. Fifty one 150 00:11:32,960 --> 00:11:40,040 Speaker 1: percent tardiness, forty one percent truancy weight, seventy eight percent 151 00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,880 Speaker 1: can't read well, eighty three percent can't do basic math, 152 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:49,360 Speaker 1: fifteen percent dropout rate. Sure, we're worried about the economy, 153 00:11:49,400 --> 00:11:52,120 Speaker 1: We're worried about crime, We're worried about poverty, we're worried 154 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,200 Speaker 1: about blake, We're worried about all those things. But where's 155 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: it getting into the river in the first place? Right here? 156 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:03,719 Speaker 1: And our school systems, where we spend the most of 157 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: our tax dollars on and continue to fail. Shame on us, 158 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: Shame on us for failing our culture, our society, and 159 00:12:17,280 --> 00:12:30,080 Speaker 1: our children. I am I am so frustrated with our 160 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:36,160 Speaker 1: unwillingness to really address this problem and all the lip 161 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:42,239 Speaker 1: service it gets and the fortunes we spend to continue 162 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: to do the same thing year after year after year. 163 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:49,880 Speaker 1: And if you don't care about it socially, ask yourself, pragmatically, 164 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: if we continue to develop students and put them out 165 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,920 Speaker 1: into our society with these numbers backing up who they 166 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: are and what they will become. Pragmatically, what's your tax 167 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,280 Speaker 1: base in your town eventually going to look like when 168 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:08,520 Speaker 1: you got more people pulling out of it than putting 169 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,560 Speaker 1: into it. What's your property value is going to do? 170 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:17,280 Speaker 1: How taxed is your hospital system and your police department's 171 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,800 Speaker 1: going to be? How do you raise revenue when people 172 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:23,400 Speaker 1: can't have a job and buy a house and pay 173 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,840 Speaker 1: property taxes and pay into the system to make it better. 174 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,920 Speaker 1: This is out of control, and I believe it starts 175 00:13:30,960 --> 00:13:37,720 Speaker 1: with education and numbers like this in any in any 176 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:42,840 Speaker 1: analytics say we are failing. And I love my city, 177 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: but it's failing in this regard and I bet yours 178 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:51,280 Speaker 1: is to I hope you'll check out where you live. 179 00:13:51,640 --> 00:13:54,200 Speaker 1: I hope you find out what the numbers are, and 180 00:13:54,240 --> 00:13:56,280 Speaker 1: I hope you will stick your foot in the dirt 181 00:13:56,320 --> 00:13:59,160 Speaker 1: and say no more. We got to have an army 182 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:05,000 Speaker 1: of normal folks that step up and speak and stand 183 00:14:05,040 --> 00:14:08,520 Speaker 1: for better. We can do it at the ballot box, 184 00:14:09,280 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: we can do it at board meetings, we can do 185 00:14:12,120 --> 00:14:14,320 Speaker 1: it at school board meetings, we can do it at 186 00:14:14,360 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: city council meetings, and we can do it with our pocketbooks. 187 00:14:20,720 --> 00:14:25,360 Speaker 1: That's shop talk number seventeen. Let's start educating our children 188 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: so that we have a culture society worth bringing more 189 00:14:28,120 --> 00:14:31,600 Speaker 1: children into one day. I'm Bill Courtney. We'll see you 190 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 1: next week.