Trey Czar of the JPEF needs to come down from his ivory tower and join us in the trenches.

In the Times Union Trey Czar president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund said, it’s important students be prepared for secondary education because it benefits the students and the local economy. “In the 21st century, it’s absolutely critical that young people have some secondary education,”

Sigh, this is the same thing you hear from Gary Chartrand, Jeb Bush and others who beat the everybody is going to go to college right after they graduate drum. Coincidently, the same group has spent barely any time in our schools especially in our inner city schools.

Now before you hit me with the soft bigotry of low expectations, think about what is worse, that or unrealistic expectations that don’t prepare children for anything. The truth is we should be celebrating if some of our children graduate able to find a job where there is room for advancement.

As for young people having some secondary expectation hasn’t Mr. Czar been following the news? Recent grads are amazingly unemployed while at the same time there is a high demand for skilled workers. Skills and trades by the way were practically eliminated as we transitioned to an everybody is going to go to college no matter what curriculum. Who benefits the economy more, a plumber’s apprentice making 15 bucks an hour or an unemployed college grad with 40 grand in debt?

Don’t get me wrong a post secondary education is very important and opens up a lot of doors, my point is that’s not the road for everybody. We need to put in places programs that serve all our kids, even the oes who aren't going to go to college, needs, desires, and skills as well.

If Czar, Chartand and Bush would have spent any significant time in a classroom before they started doing education policy they might know that.

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-08-22/story/act-report-finds-only-19-percent-florida-high-school-grads-ready-