The M-F Empire At It Again

I'm sure if you have stopped to actually read this post, you've probably read the Omaha World-Herald this past weekend and their report on the latest from the Mackiel-Fahey Takeover plan (cleverly disguised as a report on segregated schools). I don't claim to know everything about it, but I do claim to be amused by the whole issue.
I still fail to see how, if you conquer Millard, Ralston, and Elkhorn Public Schools, you would improve diversity in your lower income schools. If you would like to have high-ability students go to school at 60th and Ames or 24th and Lake, you must make that school attractive to someone who lives on 156th and Q. Unless you are going to force those students to be bused there, what other reasons do they have to attend that school? You have not provided the carrot for the horse to start moving. Having magnet schools does help to some degree. But there is nothing going on at Mount View Elementary on north 56th (I believe, don't quote me) that intrigues an Elkhorn parent. No disrespect to the school, but it is the truth.
Another aspect that, as a small town product, I disagree with is not having your child going to school with students they live among. One of the goals of a school is to not only build a community, but to partner with the surrounding community. (Lets leave magnet schools out of this equation. To me, they are a whole different ballgame from your typical elementary school.) It becomes very difficult for a student to relate to the community around the school if they do not live in the same area. Yes, diversity (more than just racial) increases, but you are really having the student living in two, sometimes very different, environments. I never had any true contact with people other than Caucasian until I was in college, where I met the smartest man I've ever known, who was black and from the Bahamas. My parents and the rural school that I went to did educate us that we were not the only race on this earth and, in order to succeed in life, we must to tolerate and coexist with all other races.
It is kind of frustrating that OPS doesn't come out and say the true reason for this takeover plot: They don't want to become landlocked and have all of the money move into the suburbs. It has nothing to do with diversity among students. If Mackiel and his posse were to force students to go to a school outside of where they live, the students could easily change districts. I refuse to buy into this being about promoting "one city". Say what the real reasons for doing this are. Work with the outside districts. You do not have to be the one and only. Be part of the solution, not the problem.