HJBR Jul/Aug 2023

DIALOGUE 24 JUL / AUG 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE For example, in NewYork City we have the Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant, or Central in Philadelphia, and also many of our great private schools; but there are also “okay schools”. The majority of American kids are getting “okay schools.”As a result, that under-preparation is also affecting the pipeline of talent that we need, not only to address representation in the health pro- fessions, but also among our creative tal- ent, among our lawyers, social sciences, et cetera. Artists, as well. We really need to look at the inequities of education that students get — that all kids should get great education. But really, because of our racial and economic lives, we seem to actually believe that some should be educated at the highest level, but not oth- ers. And I think we do that at our own peril because the talent we need to actually keep this country great is in the second and third grades, and they’re not always in our great schools. Editor How do we change that in Louisiana? President Verret In Louisiana, we need great teachers. We need to pay them adequately so they remain in the teaching professions, can raise their families, and are adequately compensated. We also need to actually invest in our schools equitably, not just by neighborhood or county. And it’s not just Louisiana, it’s also around the country. You have a luck of the draw depending on which neighborhoods you live in, depend- ing on your socioeconomic income, what kind of schools you have access to. That’s an injustice. Editor It seems much more economic than it is race. Do you think? President Verret Well, yeah, it is economic because we attract in other parts of the country that are predominantly of another race as well. It’s also race because the ten- dency has been that at some levels of gov- ernment, we seem to disfavor certain areas over others, and race is one of the factors that is involved unconsciously in a lot of our decision-making in the United States. Editor Are you hopeful? President Verret Yeah, I’mhopeful. I’mhope- ful because I was a boy in the seventies, and I’ve seen changes that I did not expect. So, I’ve hope. Editor Thank you. President Verret Yeah. We can hope, there are good things happening even now. Editor Well, I certainly hope so. It would be sad to think it’s not, especially in our leadership time. n