Question

In 2014 a struggle emerged in the city of St. George, LA regarding public schooling? Briefly describe the debate that the positions the two sides made and then address the following questions: What would have been the possible consequences if St. George would become separated? How would this impact racial inequality? What is your opinion on this issue and what can be done to improve education in Baton Rouge while also fostering racial equality?

Answer 1

Answer.

In 2014, The upper-middle-class suburb of the Louisiana capital Baton Rouge expressed the urge to break away and create a capital city out of St, George in order to have more control over poorly performing schools. They argued that creating their own capital city would allow them to take control of the area’s schools by creating a whole new city. It would allow a much greater degree of autonomy over its own affairs, especially with regard to the public school system.

Moreover, the residents and advocates of St. George point to nearby Central, another formerly unincorporated area of East Baton Rouge Parish that became its own city in 2005 and has managed to develop one of the top school systems in the state. They argue that this improvement is equally possible in the Baton Rouge area.

However, many social reformers saw this demand as motivated by race – and they feared that it would have potentially catastrophic consequences for the city’s finances. The opponents of the St. George capital city argue that St George is predominantly white and relatively wealthy, while the rest of Baton Rouge is poorer and has a much stronger African American presence. They opposed to incorporation of St. George on the grounds that it would cut down 40% of the city’s sales tax revenue flowing out from the Mall of Louisiana and Perkins Rowe, both of which are located within St. George. Eventually, this would bring down the funding for Baton Rouge’s already beleaguered schools as well.

Between the two sides of the debate, what we are presented with is a deep seated political issue of class mobilisation and racial equality within the framework of civil society. Even if the advocates of St. George were guided by the larger goal of improving the quality of education within their district, the fact remained that the separation could widen the gap not only between the rich and the poor but also between theWhites and the Coloured races as the St.George neighbourhood constituted primarily of White Upper middle class families. Within the United States, the intricate linkages between social categories of race and class have created subtle social differences such that differentiating or protecting the privileges of a particular socioeconomic group indirectly challenges the prevailing order of racial equality as well. In the case of Baton Rouge, separation of St. George would have proved to be a set back for not only the the economically disadvantaged families but also racially weak families who also struggle economically in society.

Perhaps a more racially sensitive and liberal policy of change in the school system could be achieved by focusing on community intermixing, a reservation of seats for children from the racial and economic minorities in order to make the school system more inclusive within the newly separated town/ city.