There is a conversation at Weber High that no one wants to have. Beyond the chatter in the hallway between classes, beyond the commotion in the commons at lunchtime, beyond the honking horns in the student parking lot, there is a silent but undeniable truth. Weber is impacted by a growing socioeconomic divide.
The stark disparity in incomes at Weber is evident in our high school’s narrative and culture. It weaves its way into cliques, academics and sports. It damages both the “haves” and the “have nots,” the students who live “on the hill” and the students who don’t. It intersects with issues of race and family. It changes the opportunities, trajectories and resources of countless students who are confronted with its reality every day. It is here. It is now. It needs to be addressed.
“They always refer to us as the school on the hill, that we get whatever we want. We’re literally, physically above everybody else,” says Becky Butler, a counselor at Weber, touching on the perceptions of other high schools toward Weber. She’s not wrong. Geographically, Weber’s boundaries include some of the highest houses, both in latitude and price. One infamous gated community, Pole Patch, boasts Zillow listings in the millions. “We have wealthy families, and then we have extremely wealthy families. We also have some middle-class families, and then this other population, who may not even be low-income, but who are low-income compared to their peers.”
Butler’s assessment of Weber’s varied socioeconomic split is not far off. Recent census data reveals startling statistics. The average median household income in Eden, an idyllic valley town within Weber’s boundaries, is roughly $125,000, almost $40k higher than the household average for Utah. In contrast, the median household income in Ogden, also within Weber’s boundaries, is about $60,000, with Ogden’s poverty rate being 4% higher than the state average.
There are other more insidious factors contributing to income levels within Weber’s boundaries. The census reveals that 30% of citizens of Ogden identify as Latino/Hispanic; the median household income for the Latino/Hispanic population of Ogden was $20k less than that of their White counterparts. In contrast, 95% of Eden’s population identified as “White alone,” with negligible data to be found concerning the income levels of non-White residents. (To put this in perspective, only 12 individuals total out of 690 identified as being not White.) In Huntsville, neighbor to Eden, the income disparity is shocking; the median household income ranges from $45,000 per year to $135,000 per year. Considering the previous data, between White and not White families, it’s not difficult to guess which occupies the higher end of the income spectrum.
Weber High is not only confronted with an intersectional class issue but another, one that takes on an arguably more beastly form: ignorance and misinformation.
In addition to race as a definite socioeconomic predictor, another pattern takes shape. Within Weber’s boundaries, families with married parents make $10,000 more on average than those affected by divorce, widowing, or alternate family lifestyles. Economic factors surrounding blended families, then, are also part of the discussion.
“Every survey that we ever put out there, people don’t feel like it’s a problem,” says Butler. “I don’t think they understand. They’re just looking at the majority of kids. They discount the ones that need extra help.” If Butler’s comment holds true, Weber High is not only confronted with an intersectional class issue but another, one that takes on an arguably more beastly form: ignorance and misinformation. “[Ignorance] is part of the discrepancy. I remember that shortly after an incident of racism, which is apparent at large and at Weber High as well, it felt like nobody in our community thought that it was an issue, that we were all really good about inclusion and not being racist.” Butler wishes that the community would be more aware of its pitfalls. “Racism is here. It’s apparent.”
How do students feel about the class disparity at Weber? Luke Church, a junior who lives in “The Cove,” a neighborhood known for multimillion-dollar homes and breathtaking views, was invited to comment. “We have a lot more rich and middle-class [families] at Weber, maybe not so many of the poor [families]…I think that Weber does a good job squashing a lot of that with fundraisers and food drives and stuff like that. I don’t think there are any huge problems, especially just being in high school. We don’t have a ton of money in general [as teenagers].”
Concerning where he lives, Church believes that unfair assumptions go both ways. “I was telling someone where I live, we were trying to figure out who lived closer to the school, and they went ‘You live up there and that’s the kind of car you drive?’ A lot of people see my car and don’t realize I paid the main portion of money for the car. It’s just an old Honda, and it’s not particularly nice. A lot of people assume that because you live up there [on the hill], everything you own costs a lot of money, that it was given to you, that you don’t have to work for anything. There are people up there [on the hill] who are like that, but it’s mostly a stereotype for sure.”
Regardless of whether or not Weber’s cone wants to admit that there is disparity within Weber High, its effects can be seen far and wide, on both the rich and the poor. The challenge to addressing socioeconomic disparity is its pervasiveness. “We overlook just how large a role we all play in determining who makes it and who doesn’t,” says Malcolm Gladwell, author of the bestselling investigative novel “Outliers.” “To build a better world we need to replace the patchwork of lucky breaks and arbitrary advantages today that determine success — the fortunate birth dates and the happy accidents of history — with a society that provides opportunities for all.”
We are so set in certain things that we think that we really don’t think that there’s even a problem. — Becky Butler
All of this being said, it is overwhelming to try and confront such an intersectional issue. Changing the culture of Weber means changing the attitudes of an entire community. It means tackling racism, discrimination and misinformation head-on. It means a paradigm shift. “It starts with education. Educating people and parents and the community. We are so set in certain things that we think that we really don’t think that there’s even a problem,” says Butler. “How do you convince someone?”
That is the question posed to Weber students, staff, alumni and teachers today. How do you convince someone? How do you find the momentum to change? While the answer may not come easily, we have to find it. Otherwise, Warriors everywhere will never truly be united.