Town hall fact check: Education


  • April 23, 2014
  • /   Reggie Dogan
  • /   education

Malcolm Thomas, superintendent of Escambia schools, talked a lot about education Tuesday at the District 3 Town Hall Meeting.

When a question was raised about what young people can do to fix their lives after getting in trouble or dropping out of school, Thomas stressed the importance of high school graduation.

He told a story about a 16-year-old student who dropped out so he could get more hours on his job.

Thomas pointed out that parents can play a role in preventing their children from dropping out because a students needs parental permission to quit school.

“In the state of Florida you cannot drop out of school if you’re under the age of 18 unless a parent or guardian signs the form,” Thomas said.

FACT CHECK: True, according Florida Statute 1003.21(1)(c)

 “When a student reaches 16 years of age he/she is no longer required to attend school if he/she files the required formal declaration of intent to terminate school enrollment with the school district and the declaration is signed by a parent. The declaration must acknowledge that leaving school will likely reduce the student’s earning potential. The school district is required to notify the child’s parent or legal guardian that the student has filed a declaration of intent to leave school."

Apparently a lot of parents are signing these forms in Escambia County. The graduation rate in Escambia County in 2012-2013 was a dismal 64.2 percent. A little more than half – 51.4 percent – of African American students finish high school in four years.

Who knows how well the student Thomas talked about is doing now. But statistics show that high dropouts are four times as likely to be unemployed as those who finish high school and college.

For those who find work, the average dropout can expect to earn an annual income of $20,241, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That’s $10,386 less than the typical high school graduate, and $36,424 less than someone with a bachelor’s degree.

The challenges confront dropouts in a variety of ways throughout their lives.  Among those between the ages of 18 and 24, dropouts were more than twice as likely as college graduates to live in poverty, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Dropouts experienced a poverty rate of 30.8 percent, while those with at least a bachelor’s degree had a poverty rate of 13. 5 percent.

Data also shows that high school dropouts are more likely to be incarcerated, have more health problems and a higher divorce rate than those who finish school.

Dropping out of school can cause a multitude of socioeconomic problems as the data clearly shows.

In the immortal words of Mr. T, “Don’t be a fool, stay in school.”

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