Another Well Meaning Bad Idea

Students in Tucson can now get paid to do what they're already doing:

Local high school students will soon be cashing in for hitting the books.

A new pilot program promises to pay them to stay in school.

More than 20,000 Arizona teens dropped out of the class of 2006.

To fight the problem, 75 students from low income families at Amphi High and 100 from Rincon high were picked for the new program.

The students will get $25 a week as an incentive to stay in school.

A local nonprofit will pay for the project.

To get the money, the kids have to stay out of trouble and keep their grades up... Kids like Cassandra Hardin.

"I can get money for doing what I'm already doing."

Exactly. What's to stop every kid in the school from threatening to quit if he or she is not paid? Instead of bribing them, how about a little "scared straight" type of approach. Take the kids to McDonald's and let them clean up greasy cooking equipment 8 hours a day for a week, or take them to the local homeless shelter and let them clean up that mess for a few days. After that, you probably won't have to pay them to stay in school. They'll quickly figure out what kind of future awaits them if they drop out.

If after that they still insist on dropping out, no problem. There will also be a fast food place needing a low paid grunt to clean up.