Quote Originally Posted by blitzer44 View Post
In any high school only a small percentage of the students go on to college, most of those have made the decision early on and work towards that goal all through school. The remainder of the students opt for a techinal career and the rest go with "whatever comes up". That what makes the american economy, if everyone went to college who would fix your car, heat pump, plumbing, electricity, bag your groceries, mine coal and so forth. Those that want to go to college will most always excell in school to reach that goal. The ideal that "buildings" will help people go on to college is misplaced. In this day of "virtual" learning, evrything is available to everyone who will seek it out. Core basics and technical traing are as important as advanced courses. If everyone is a college professor or a business major, who you gonna call when the lights go out?
The purpose of public secondary education is not only to be a college preparatory program...agreed! HOWEVER, that is a huge focus for these schools. I don't know where you or anyone you may know went to school, but I can confidently say that the percentage of students in my graduating class who went to college was not at all small. Sure, you have to have people who will do "blue collar" work. But they are going to need a high school education, and why shouldn't it be a good one? These buildings are not conducive to the "virtual" learning that you're talking about...they aren't wired for it. Most of these buildings do not even have air conditioning. A 90 degree classroom is no place to be doing your best learning.
You seem to be under the impression that as long as you do well in high school that you will be able to go to any college. Pick up a copy of any college/university admission's guide and you will find that is not the case. The admissions process is extremely competitive at any school worth attending. And once you get there, professors are not too accomodating of students who are playing catch up because they did not get the proper education in high school. With consolidation, as the school board is presenting, there will be more of an opportunity for a broader and more advanced curriculum. My guess is you have not seen the current course offering at these schools. It is embarassingly bare. I can't imagine why anybody would want to move to this area if they had children who would be attending these high schools. That's why many people who do accept jobs in Wise County end up living in the Tri-Cities, where they take the money they earn in Wise County and use it to buy real estate, pay property taxes, and support local commerce in the communities in which they choose to reside.