Creator of CIPS videos reveals motives

An image from the first video, YouGetWhatUPay4

A Covington woman is producing a series of YouTube videos that are harshly critical of the Covington Independent Public Schools, in hopes of initiating changes in one of the poorest performing school districts in Kentucky.

The woman, who wants to remain anonymous, has posted three videos on her YouTube channel, WhyRUrKidsSoStupid. In each professionally produced video, the narrator, speaking over a jaunty music track, lays out problems with Covington’s schools in frank terms. The three videos were uploaded to YouTube this past week, and the creator promises more will appear.

The first, YouGetWhatUPay4 points out that Covington spends $45.5 million a year on schools – $14,695 per student – the most of any Northern Kentucky school district. Yet CIPS graduates averaged only 16.1 on the ACT, the lowest of any NKY district. The most recent assessment of CIPS graduates showed only 34 percent are proficient in reading, 18 percent are proficient in science and 14 percent are proficient in basic math.

“Out of Kentucky’s 174 School Districts, Covington Independent brings in more taxpayer money than 170 other school districts. Why are we paying top dollar for Covington to graduate some of the most ignorant kids in the state?” the narrator asks.

The second video, SayItAintSoCVG, answers some of the comments about the first video – many of which were published on the CovingtonKY Facebook page. The video lists more web sites where information about the low performance of Covington schools is documented, and urges all Covington residents to be concerned about the problem:

“If you think you’re not affected by this because your kids are in private or charter schools, remember this: You’re paying $14,690 per student every year in taxes for each student that is in public school. Over and above what you’re paying for your own kids’ tuition. Taxpayers, parents, concerned citizens, do your homework. This isn’t our kids’ fault. This is our fault, and we’re letting them down,” the narrator says.

So-U-RtheLucky1, the third video, responds to parents who believe that because their children receive good grades and make honor roll, they are getting a good education. Using the district’s published 2009-2010 report on test scores, the video claims that the best students graduating from Covington’s schools are ill-prepared for college.

“Even the worst students at Princeton, Harvard or Yale still get to brag that they graduated from some of the best schools in the nation. Your kid gets to brag that they were at the top of the graduating class in one of the worst school districts in the nation.”

The third video ends by listing the names of the CIPS school board members.

In an email interview, the woman said she plans to remain anonymous to focus attention on the problem:

I do not wish to cloud the issue with personal irrelevancies, I merely want to help parents and taxpayers become aware of some publicly available information. I can already see the public attempts to shift the focus from the readily available facts to discovering who that person is ‘who made the videos’ and determining my ‘motives’. I do not intend to present a straw man to those with torches.

There will be more videos. I intend to initiate a change, and I don’t intend on being alone. … I believe that in order to facilitate change, we need to create awareness.

The woman was not concerned that remaining anonymous might create suspicion about her or her motives.

Let them be suspicious. Let them get angry. I just want parents and taxpayers to open their eyes to a serious problem. It won’t get fixed until people acknowledge the fix we’re in.

The woman said she is not a teacher and has no background in education. She would not reveal if she has any children in Covington schools, saying:

I will not discuss children. That’s off limits. Retribution is not unfathomable by any means.

As to why she is producing the videos:

I believe that the CIPS is in a miserable state. I think our kids are in trouble, and it scares the bejezzus out of me. No one is being held accountable… and it’s really pissing me off.

Asked what she hopes to accomplish with the videos, she said:

Accountability, better financial management, parental involvement, removal of failed administration, and transparency. Right now parents and students are being led to believe that a CIPS education is worth something. It’s not.

Covington has one of the largest populations, per capita, of the urban poor in the state, yet she did not see this as an excuse for the problems in Covington’s schools:

It’s not a child’s fault they are poor. It is however, a school’s obligation to overcome this and teach. Poverty is not the only antecedent for failure, that should be obvious by looking at the CIPS balance sheet.

CIPS has set their goal for kids at a diploma. I believe this goal is too low; the district doesn’t even try for a goal of higher education. I believe when you set the goals low, students will meet those goals. I also believe that if you raise the bar, motivated kids will amaze you by reaching it. I’d like to see CIPS have a little more faith in our kids. I think they’ve given up, and the kids are falling in line behind them. We need new leaders.

Poverty, like ignorance, can be temporary with some effort. I believe the key to rising above poverty is rooted in education. No one wants to hire a fool; no one promotes an idiot. Entrepreneurs are born from people that strive to meet challenges, not those who have unearned rewards thrust at them just for showing up.

The videos can be found on WhyRUrKidsSoStupid’s YouTube Channel. Here’s the first one: