Image Credit: Memphis-Shelby County Schools
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
Memphis-Shelby County Schools is in jeopardy of losing $30 million worth of federal funding after repeated violations were uncovered in their Head Start Program.
While the system has been receiving the funding for years, reports now say they have violated at least three of the requirements of the program.
Since 2020, MSCS has received multiple reports from Head Start officials who documented a number of instances in which teachers were found to be “hitting, kicking, and jerking students.”
The school system receives funding for the Head Start program through the Tennessee Department of Education. The federally funded program is aimed at “promoting school readiness of children ages 0-5 from eligible families through education, health, social, and other supports and services.”
Over 3,000 Shelby County families are served by the program, allowing parents to access affordable education to meet their children’s early childhood needs.
Towanna Murphy, who was just recently installed as a MSCS board member, says this loss of funding would be a setback for students.
“That right there is the core – where we need to catch those kids at the Pre-K level,” Murphy said. “And if we can’t catch them at the Pre-K level, then we lose a whole generation of children. And so that funding is needed for our Pre-K kids.”
MSCS will reapply for the funds in October, and the grant would become effective in July 2025 if they are found to be in compliance during this school year.
2 Responses
The HHS dept released a study of the effectiveness of Head Start. “The HHS report published in 2010 showed that by the end of first grade, the effects mostly faded out. According to the 2012 HHS report on third grade follow-up, by the end of primary school there was no longer a discernible impact of Head Start.”
Head Start is a glorified federally funded (meaning taxpayer) child care program (babysitting). The program was started in 1965 as part of LBJ’s “War on Poverty.”
Fifty-eight years later there appears to be no conclusive evidence the program is effective.
Over 50,000,000 children have received Head Start care and PreK socialisation and early learning services. I urge you to compare national and state test scores over the same period.
I contend the Head Start program is as effective as the War on Drugs. HHS does create a huge number of jobs, all for little if any positive results.
I agree with the other commenter, that head start has had no positive impact on education results. The problem can not be fixed by government education programs. The problem is the culture in the homes of these children. The distancing of our government and established Institutions from God has enabled many forces of evil and mal intent to gain footholds and grow in our communities. Our republics founders were Strong Believers in the Judeo Christian Ethics and respect of God our creator. Our rights are stated in our constitution as God given and not derived from Government! I contend this has ultimately led to a moral decline in our society that results in us no longer honoring God as a nation. Families suffer. Father less children in the homes, filthy talk, drunkenness , drug abuse, low self esteem, ignorance, self satisfying ends justify the means attitudes and other sins abound in the homes. TV and video games /internet are the baby sitters even in affluent homes. The children come unprepared by their parents to be good students or people. Then they go to a school that restricts God and traditional moral values from God, to fit their Godless mandates of the Godless politicians and their servitude to money and power. Even good teachers can not make miracles out of these poor children under the conditions the children live in and those they find themselves working. Our founders called out God as our ultimate creator and source of all our rights. These men believed in God’s word and stood up and created a free nation for God’s people. When we return to recognizing God’s authority in our government, we will be seen by our father as returning to him, and that may only happen when enough prayers are offered up to show our faithfulness as a people to our Lord. So pray and work for our nation to experience a revival for the Lord.