Perplexed? Good, happy Monday!

Well, the credit I’m referring to comes from accrediting agencies like the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, whose stamp of approval has meant parents, students and the public can rest assured quality education is occuring in those classrooms.

While not necessary, such a notation (which is obviously preceded by a thorough review) has opened doors of opportunity in terms of acceptance into certain programs, scholarships and positions.  

Indeed, my colleague Del Stover profiled Clayton County schools in Georgia, where school board dysfunction  cost the district its SACS accreditation last summer. As a result, hundreds of families moved out of the district into neighboring school systems or private schools that were accredited.

Now pan three states over and fast forward to today, when just about everyone, particularly school districts are feeling the effects of a seemingly bottomless recession, and you’ll find Dallas Independent School District’s approach to a SACS accreditation: we’ll pass thanks.

Yup, the second largest school system in the second-largest state is opting out of the evaluation process that 13,000 other schools and school systems undergo through SACS.  Dallas cites (what else?) financial reasons for their withdrawal.

Facing a $30 million deficit, the district is scouring its budget to find anything it can cut. The site visits and evaluation not only cost $1,000 a pop per school, but it costs administrative time.

My cynical colleague Del thinks there may be more to Dallas’ decision — maybe the standards are too high, he suggests snarkily— which may be true, but it’s a move that is being copied by more and more public schools, notes SACS  official, Sandra Sherman.

“For some reason, this isn’t much of a priority anymore,” Sherman told the Dallas Morning News.

Funny how tight budgets can do that to priorities.

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor

Leppert, a former chief executive of Turner Construction, had already committed $50,000 of his wages to a college scholarship fund targeted to students attending predominantly low-income, high minority high schools in Dallas.

Nationally, 67 percent of graduates from the class of 2007 went on to college, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Statewide, the college enrollment rate in Texas in 2006 was 55 percent, according to the National Information Center for Higher Education and Policy Making Analysis.

Dallas, the 12^th largest school system in the nation, has a long way to go, as less than half of all ninth-graders graduate from high school four years later.

 ”We have kids who can’t link staying in school, going to college and what that means later in life,” Leppert told the Dallas Morning News.

And making those linkages are critically important, especially in today’s tough economic climate and competitive job market. High school dropouts earn, on average, nearly $10,000 less than those with a diploma; the difference doubles to $20,000 in annual wages when comparing high school and college graduates with a bachelor’s degree.

Naomi Dillon, Senior Editor