Officials want Steele apology over school remarks. Alonso says GOP leader broke his word.

[BuyingThyme]

Officials want Steele apology over school remarks
Alonso says GOP leader broke his word

By Sara Neufeld
9:36 PM EST, March 4, 2009

City schools chief Andrés Alonso publicly asked Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele tonight to apologize for making disparaging remarks about Frederick Douglass High School on national television.

A spokesman for Steele, Maryland's former lieutenant governor, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In February 2006, Steele visited Douglass in West Baltimore, holding it up as an example of the failures of urban education and making a personal commitment to turn the school around. Though he has not returned to Douglass since -- a spokesman said shortly thereafter that school officials were not receptive to his help -- he again said Douglass isn't doing its job during an interview this week on D.L. Hughley Breaks the News on CNN.

But, as both Alonso and Gov. Martin O'Malley noted tonight, Douglass has improved significantly since Steele's visit: Its graduation rate went up 14 percentage points last year, from 43 percent to 57 percent.

"I don't think Michael Steele has been here since he came in an election year to demagogue, kick around our children," O'Malley said tonight before his town hall meeting at Douglass on education and the economy.

...

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/politics/bal-townhall0304,0,7528826.story?track=rss

[Donnachaidh]

1. They may have to call Rush to get him to loan Steele his testicles back temporarily

:evilgrin:

[saltpoint]

2. They'll get their apology from Steele. The only question is whether it will

be in 5 minutes or 6.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. Its still not acceptable, so why is any apology requried

60% graduation rate? In MD where basic attendance will get you through?

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

5. Wonder what prompted the sudden improvement.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. I remember all the funny bookeeping on scores elsewhere, its what comes to mind first

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

7. Good old cooking the books.

[tkmorris]

8. I wouldn't be proud of 60% either, but

There are a lot of factors that come into play, beyond the school's ability to affect in any real way. The school's district for example is extremely poor. It is a real challenge to keep kids born into poverty in school for the full 12 years, and there isn't always much the school can do to change that.

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. Michael Steele is offending folks, left and right.