Easy Money: D.C. Pays Students $5.25/hr For Attending Summer School
If you’re a bad kid with bad grades, then the District of Columbia school system is designed just for you. In total, 305 students are being paid $5.25 an 
hour to attend the system’s Summer Bridge program, which targets “at risk” youth.
The Washington Examiner reports:
The 95 students who voluntarily signed up for the summer school program will receive half of an elective credit. But to fill the 400-student session with at-risk students, DCPS reached out to the Department of Employment Services. More than 300 students flagged by DCPS and who had signed up for the Summer Youth Employment Program were told that school would be their jobs this summer.
Yes, you heard right. The students who are being paid to be a part of the summer school program were actually drafted. They wanted summer jobs, not summer school, but DCPS used those kids to fill a gap in enrollment. And the 95 students who had already signed up only get credits, while the other students recruited by DCPS get a check.Does that sound fair to you? It seems that the students who voluntarily put education ahead of money are now being punished for that choice.
Some D.C residents have expressed concern over whether paying students to attend school creates an expectation that they will be paid every summer.
At-large Councilman Michael A. Brown said he understands the concern, saying ”That’s a completely legitimate argument,” and ”It is a very, very, extremely justified, debatable issue and I don’t think there’s a right answer.”
Supporters of the Summer Bridge program say that, technically, the program is not summer school because kids aren’t making up tests or bad grades. They are, instead, learning work skills, which makes it perfectly fine for them to be paid.
Do you agree? Should the students be paid to attend the summer program? Will that get students in the habit of being paid for school?
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No. This does not require debate. These children should be taught their history. If they knew their history, they would pray that schools were open 24/7 with highly qualified educators.These students do not value education.Hopefully they will learn the value of education. The black africans appear to know the value of education.
This history you are speaking of is so fundamental, that these kids own parents ought to be teaching them about that history. Why is it that so many black parents think that it is the school’s responsibiltiy to teach their kids every little thing? I once saw a stunning video clip, discussing new kindergarten student — the teacher talke to the kid’s mother with concern that then kid did not already know her colors (red, blue, yellew, green, etc.) Most 5 year olds would know that sort of basic thing because their parents/family taught it to them. The mother’s reply? “Teaching colors is the school’s job.”
I understand that school is there to teach the hard stuff (like physics and mideival literature) and perhaps fill in gaps that the parents didn’t think about. But parents should take the primary responsibility for their children’s education. If your 5-year old kid can’t count to 10, do his abc’s, and be able to tell you if the car that ran over grandpa was yellow, red, or black, then that’s your fault.
This is stupid, why should a kid attend school during the regular season, and strive to get good grades, when he can hang out in the streets, get high, and make babies, and then get paid to attend summer school? I wouldn’t give these kids anything, but a kick in their a***s. If there are any students, who should be rewarded for attending something that they should be lucky to be receiving for their own good, it is the students that attended school during the regular season, and earned good grades.
I can tell you why it is important to pay these kids to go to summer school, and it’s not what you might think. The program had room for 400 students, and was staffed with government workers getting big-time overtime pay to teach 400 students. When only 95 signed up, suddenly a majority of the teachers were going to loose their gravy train, or the program might have been cancelled completely. This sort of thing goes on all the time, where the goverment “workers” actually go out and drum up business to justify the existance of their job. This is a classic example of a goverment program that has little demand and ultimately no meaninful impact on the community of the nation, other than giving made-up jobs to un-needed government workers. So, when Obama tells you that his stimulus plan “created or saved” X-number of jobs, you should think about these students getting $5.25 an hour for sitting on their butts in summer school, and the government workers who are there to supervise them.
Everyone else involved in these school systems get paid. Why not the students, they are the ones that get every one else paid. Teachers, custodians, chair makers, carpet and tile companies, book companies and every one in between. Reminds of prison here in the US. Everyone makes money off the inmates, phone co., clothing co., food co., ect. Prison and schools BIG business in the US
Thank you for your brilliant analysis of the situation at hand. A woman with your intelligence is obviously an Obama voter.
I THINK THIS IS LUDACRIS. YOU SHOULD NEVER PAY A CHILD TO GO TO SCHOOL OR SUMMER SCHHOOL. I PERSONALLY DO NOT BELIEVE IN SUMMER SCHOOL IF YOU GO BECAUSE YOU FAILED DURING THE REGULAR SCHOOL YEAR. IF YOU DIDN’T GET IT DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, HOW THE HELLLLLLCAN U GET IT IN 6 MONTHS. D.C.SHOULD NOT PAY FOR ANY CHILD TO GO TO SCHOOL. BEING AN EDUCATOR MYSELF FOR 15 YEARS, I PERSONALLY DO NOT FORCE MY STUDENTS TO LEARN. YOU HAVE TO WANT IT. WHEN YOU GET IN MIDDLE SCHOOL YOU SHOULD KNOW IF YOU WANT TO LEARN OR NOT. I CAN’T FORCE IT TO YOU. PAYING FOR KIDS TO GO TO SUMMER SCHOOL, WHO POSSIBLY ARE NOT LEARNING STILL AND POSSIBLY FAILING STILL ( NOT SAYING THAT THEY ARE FAILING) BUT IF THESE ARE THE SAME KIDS THAT CAUSE PROBLEMS DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, NOT TURNING IN ASSIGNMENTS, NOT COMPLETING ASSIGNMENTS ARE MORE THAN LIKELY DOING THE SAME IN SUMMER SCHOOL. PAYING FOR STUDENTS TO GO TO SCHOOL IS BULLLLL $$%&.
Thank you for your brilliant analysis of the situation at hand. A woman with your intelligence is obviously an Obama voter.
sorry about the double post