Baltimore Schools: a Monument to Failure

By | February 25, 2026

By guest blogger Sadako Red [see disclaimer]

[February 25, 2026]  The City of Baltimore is in a tailspin, and nowhere is this more evident than in its public school system. Since the late 1960s, the city has been on a downward cultural spiral, but the education of its children is the final, most tragic casualty. We shouldn’t be surprised by the headlines; the system has been in free-fall for far too long, but the magnitude of its current failure is staggering.

In Baltimore, we see a culture that has abandoned the basic principles of success. When a student is sent back to the 9th grade after supposedly “completing” the 12th, the experts and the city leadership act shocked. Why? This is the natural result of a system designed to fail. It is a system built on the assumption that as long as the money keeps flowing and the “compassionate” politicians keep getting elected, the actual results don’t matter.

The reality is that doing well in Baltimore’s school administration isn’t hard; if you’re part of the machine. If you are connected to the city government or the school board, you are getting along just fine. You have a job for life, great benefits, and a union that ensures you can’t be fired, regardless of whether the children in your care can read or write, your incompetence, or moral character. It’s a ticket to a stable life, provided you don’t mind presiding over a disaster.  Just look the other way.

The statistics show a broken record. We see reports of high schools where not a single student is proficient in math. Does the city leadership re-evaluate its core values? Nope. They do the same thing every month: they whine and complain about “underfunding” while spending more per pupil than almost any other district in the country. They blame “systemic issues” rather than the elementary moral failure of a culture that no longer heaps shame on bad behavior or rewards honest, hard work.

In this “diverse” city, the societal elite and the politically liberal talk a big game about fairness. But there is nothing fair about passing a child from grade to grade when they haven’t learned a thing. It is a betrayal of the highest order. The “animals are running the zoo,” and the casualties are the kids who will graduate, if they graduate at all, and without the skills to hold a job or build a family.

The city is failing because its citizens and its leaders are letting it happen. They have traded excellence for “equity” and discipline for “understanding,” and the result is a generation left behind. To fix it would require a massive reordering of the way the schools operate and a restoration of the intestinal fortitude required to demand results.

Baltimore was once a great city. It could be again. But until the people in charge stop being oblivious to the downward spiral and start valuing the height of their dreams over the safety of their government paychecks, the schools will remain a monument to failure. Maybe it has a chance, but only if we find the bravery to steer the ship away from the rocks.

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Please read my books:

  1. “55 Rules for a Good Life,” on Amazon (link here).
  2. “Our Longest Year in Iraq,” on Amazon (link here)
Author: Sadako Red

Author: Sadako Red Disclaimer: I chose the pen name Sadako Red in order to remove any notoriety reflecting on my other real job as a very senior executive in the Department of Defense. Naturally, my opinion is my opinion only and despite DoD wanting to associate with my fine work, they cannot have it. Trust me, they want it. Trust me, they can’t stand for it.

11 thoughts on “Baltimore Schools: a Monument to Failure

  1. Nick Lighthouse

    Sadako Red, great job here. Your article powerfully calls attention to serious challenges within the Baltimore City public school system, underscoring the urgency of meaningful reform and accountability. It highlights that entrenched problems demand new leadership, fresh ideas, and a commitment to results that truly serve students rather than protecting the status quo. Recognizing these issues is an important first step toward mobilizing community, policy, and educational stakeholders to create a better path forward for every child in the city.

    Reply
    1. Doc Jeff

      Well said, Nick. Thank you. Baltimore is a place where evil lives and good dies a slow, expensive death. 🤐

      Reply
  2. Ronny Fisher

    Oh, Red is back… hallalujah. He’s back! Now, we are going to get many insights into what is happening both in Baltimore – a shitshow city – and in Washington DC. I can’t wait for Sadako Red to start naming names again. Let’s get it all out in the open where the disinfectant of sunshine kills the Democrat Party mind virus.

    Reply
  3. King Henry VIII

    This is exactly what failed leadership looks like. And what makes this as such a great example, if you ask those in charge – politicians, NGOs, public school leaders, etc. – they will deny they are doing a bad job by failing the schools. They are “doing their best” and they “need more funding.” Such a joke of a city.

    Reply
  4. Scotty Bush

    They will blame Donald Trump. LOL. The entire Democrat Party has gone totally insane. They are the party of grift. Power and money is all they care about. That was not true maybe 50 years ago under Robert Kennedy but those days are long gone. Today, they admit that they are just agaist anything that doesn’t line their pockets with cash, drugs, and servants. Yes, servants. They want “respect” and that means people have to bow down to them. This is why we elect dumbasses that identify themselves as Communists. Communism has totally infiltrated the Dem party. So sad.

    Reply
    1. Susie Q.

      Yep, got it. Even if the fall began decades ago, Trump will be at fault. Wow, talk about faulty logic. 🤮

      Reply
    2. Good Dog

      The failures of Baltimore are egregious. Why? Because it’s purposeful. I cannot believe it is unintentional because the DEI and neo-Marxist ideology has crushed not just schools but everything the city government touches. Taxes are high, and most of that goes to funding old pensions and illegal aliens. Not much left to support city services. And their utility systems are broken too. If we were to put their education system on the right track, it would take a centuries to turn the city around. It is corrupt beyond belief.

      Reply

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