Here are some "quick facts" about Roane County from the US Census Bureau: (link...)

Overall, Roane County was counted as having 14.7% of its people below the poverty rate. Not "all that awesome," as you say :), but there are worse places.

Indeed, there are worse places right here in the county; just look outside Kingston. The overall Roane County number hides a large disparity between Kingston and the rest. See: Rockwood ((link...)), Harriman ((link...)), and Kingston ((link...)).

Note that poverty rates in Rockwood and Harriman are much higher than for Kingston. Rates for families with children under 18, for example, are about 27% for Rockwood and Harriman--higher for families with children under 5--and only about 10% in Kingston. Poverty rates in Rockwood and Harriman for families with children under 5 approach 1/3.

In short, Kingston is not that poor—although one could argue that any poverty is too much—but the rest of Roane County qualifies.

-- OneTahiti

On ourSchool report card we show 50% of our students as being economically disadvantaged. No other figure points out the need for Roane County to focus on schools and education more than that one.

I also strongly question some of the other reporting. How, for instance, do you have a high school like Rockwood showing twice as many freshmen as sophomores year after year and yet still having a 75% graduation rate?

To say I don't trust the data is an understatement, but we might get better reporting this year. We'll see.

But think about this: We are putting money into a new industrial park that we won't receive revenue from after the debt is paid, under the best scenario. We are left to lure people to settle in Roane County, who will be the executives and tranferred workers at new installations. Where will they choose to settle when they look at Rockwood, Harriman, and Roane County High Schools?...Particularly after they've seen Stone Memorial?

Stone Memorial is a model, by the way, for what we could have beside the Roane State Campus.

Good work, WC. I appreciate data. What to do with it is another thing. I'm accustomed to medical data, and it's less susceptible (to me, anyway) to fudging than a lot of sociological data is, IMHO. Will take some digging through. But having it available is way better than not!

While I tend toward skepticism until I understand the methodology of a study, I also have to fight the urge to dismiss information when it shows something I don't want to see. I have my biases, as do all those who either produce or try to interpret data.

Happy Weekend!

RB

RB, I appreciate your optimism. Maybe you spend a good deal of time in Kingston. But it doesn't really take methodology to understand the truth. It only takes observation to know for sure. I don't intend to be argumentative, just sharing.

Understand that almost or possibly more than 50% of the student population at some schools in Harriman are on the school lunch program. That doesn't include those who qualify, but are too proud to use it. Ride through town at 8am, see cars so dilapidated they can barely make it to the school to drop the kids off.

Go to the local drug store, or grocery store, and just look around. You will see Seniors not buying milk, bread, and eggs...but deciding which one or two are most important, as they cannot afford all three.

Follow the school buses as they drop off the kids, see where they live. Watch the locals scratch off lottery tickets, even though they desperately need dental care. Then there's thirteen-year-olds about to have their first baby. Sit in a doctor's office in Harriman for an hour or two. Really, every Roane County official or person in leadership here should sit and watch as the elderly and the children wait for an appointment.

There's two-year-olds without car seats, there's themometers set to 62 in the winter by eighty-year-olds, and no air-conditioning for some babies in the hottest heat of the summer. Meals on Wheels has a waiting list for Seniors who don't really know they have to put a frozen dinner in the microwave, never mind the ability to understand medicare. And those that are one the list, well...that person who delivers that meal may be that Senior's only visitor all day, all week.

I'm not exagerating. I see it, I live here, I volunteer, I know it.

It's poverty alright. And it's just incredibly sad. Now I know there are some that say their childhood was worse, they had to walk to school in the snow with barefeet, their grandma shoveled coal into the stove to stay warm, they didn't have car seats back then, etc. Well, I'm sorry that happened.

But it doesn't make it right. At least not in today's times.

There is still so much pride in Harriman. Drive through Cornstalk Heights to see the work people have put into those grand historical homes. Talk to small business owners, educators, little league coaches, so many more, all people who are proud and making a difference.

I don't mean to paint an entirely negative picture. There are many positive things going on throughout our county.

Poverty here just tugs at my heart strings. Who likes to see elderly go hungry or unattended? Who likes to see children without a fair chance? Who?

Nothing can deny the fact that poverty exists in Roane County, and an unacceptable percentage of it. What I don't know is the answer. We're a small community. There's so many great programs, like United Way, Lions Club, CASA, Imagination Library, etc. Yes, sometimes we just put band-aids on, but many are also working toward prevention and progress to break the cycle. We just need more people who care to make a difference. More people to volunteer just one or two hours of their time.

Tell everyone. We can make a difference. It's our community, it's our choice.

But first, we must recognize the problem exists. Just wanted to let you know in my best way that we don't really need a graph for that.

grasshopper