The GOP's New Goal - Public Education
If you have been able to keep up with public education news, you'd see a trend of the GOP urging members to take over school boards. This effort might yield many outcomes like controlling curriculum, controlling types of books in the library, the tone of a district, etc. In other words, a hard pull to the right and protecting of white students from "woke" beliefs. If the Germans can teach about the Holocaust in schools without their kids fainting dead away, I think we can teach the entirety of our history. If there are those who want to teach about American "exceptionalism," they can but please explain how we got there and on whose backs.
There is a great article in The New Republic that speaks about the bigger effort by the GOP - to taint the concept of the "common good."
Now that's the "building the better economy and populace" argument. To appeal to Libertarians, I like to say, "If only for myself, I wanted a well-educated nation so that I can get my Social Security." You CAN be selfish and still see what you get out of good public education.
The GOP is trying to basically destroy the American public education system, probably for two reasons. One, there's money to be made by privatizing the public education system. Two, what did Hitler say (and I paraphrase) - "If I have the children, I don't need the parents." Creating an education system where never is heard a discouraging word and that (literally) whitewashes our American past makes it easier to control the populace.
I suspect that charter schools are just quaking in their boots because 1) Congress is set to pass new accountability measures for charter schools and 2) states are moving to vouchers which would just give parents a check for however much a state deems is necessary to pay for education and then the parents get to become education detectives. Where would that leave charters?
Embedded in the New Republic story is a fantastic link to a website, Our World in Data, and how countries finance public education. It's just chock-a-block full of fascinating stats. The bottom third of the article has some interesting information about measures to improve schools and what works like teacher experience, class size, preschool, etc.
There is a great article in The New Republic that speaks about the bigger effort by the GOP - to taint the concept of the "common good."
This is a core principle of civilized society: We all contribute to certain activities that have clear universal social benefit.
The question of political philosophy is this: What is the common good—what must it include, and what is each citizen’s responsibility toward securing it? We decided in the U.S. a little more than a century ago that universal public education, free to every child and paid for by all of us, was central to any definition of a common good.
In the U.S., of course, public education is mostly funded by property taxes and financed by local governments. There are problems with this, as there are with any system invented by imperfect human beings, the main one being that rich districts have a lot more money and thus much better schools; but even still, the good part is that we as a society accept the idea that we all have to contribute. It does not matter whether you have children in the schools. The principle is that even if you are childless, or your children have grown and gone to college, or you send them to private school, or school them yourself at home, you still pay, and you pay because you benefit from a well-educated populace.
Now that's the "building the better economy and populace" argument. To appeal to Libertarians, I like to say, "If only for myself, I wanted a well-educated nation so that I can get my Social Security." You CAN be selfish and still see what you get out of good public education.
The GOP is trying to basically destroy the American public education system, probably for two reasons. One, there's money to be made by privatizing the public education system. Two, what did Hitler say (and I paraphrase) - "If I have the children, I don't need the parents." Creating an education system where never is heard a discouraging word and that (literally) whitewashes our American past makes it easier to control the populace.
I suspect that charter schools are just quaking in their boots because 1) Congress is set to pass new accountability measures for charter schools and 2) states are moving to vouchers which would just give parents a check for however much a state deems is necessary to pay for education and then the parents get to become education detectives. Where would that leave charters?
My own state, Arizona, just enacted a law that overturns a voter referendum against vouchers from 2018. It's just nuts. I think Arizona's governor thinks that somehow Arizona will be a shining lead example for this when in fact, it's more likely to be a damning case study against it.
The program is now the largest school voucher program in the country. It changes the very nature of how families in Arizona can spend public education dollars by opening up the option for all students to spend a portion of tax funding initially allocated to public education at private schools.If Save Our Schools Arizona and its supporters can secure 118,823 valid signatures before September 24, the voucher expansion will be placed on hold until November 2024, when voters get a chance to weigh in.
Embedded in the New Republic story is a fantastic link to a website, Our World in Data, and how countries finance public education. It's just chock-a-block full of fascinating stats. The bottom third of the article has some interesting information about measures to improve schools and what works like teacher experience, class size, preschool, etc.
Comments
Common Sense
Uh nope. The vast majority see through your “woke” boogie monster bit. We want schools that are in-person, fully staffed bus routes, after school care, smaller class sizes and less red tape. Spend an afternoon on a field trip (if you can find one anymore) and the unbearable logistics of running a public school become obvious very quickly. Don’t pile on more regulations or throw anymore frenzied people in school board meetings, please. Roll up your sleeves, volunteer for lunch duty, sit on the PTA. Start valuing the work of lifting up our youth. Stop bellyaching in the comment section and be the change. Public schools are strained, and by extension so are families and children.
Check Yourself
Problem with a diversity of thought? The “vast majority” see that our Seattle schools were closed long after everyone else was already back. SPS imposed impossibly achievable goals and its all-on-our-own Covid mandates well beyond recommendations. SPS, woke and in the name of equity, demanded all schooling to 1) go online but thoroughly watered down without content and with absolutely nothing required of students, then 2) demanded everyone return without the POSSIBILITY of online participation when it might be reasonable. Every possible decision even contradictory decisions glossed over with the familiar cries “oh the children” or “oh the equity” with weird religious fervor unquestioning and indefensible. Always made behind closed doors and without scrutiny or consensus. Our students are actually injured by this film flam because they need consistency and deep down they know the system is prioritizing their future, and, them as individuals far, far below these political pressures of conformity. It is not providing a culture or community that values them.
I’ve been on more field trips than you will know. There are few of them now because of equity. As a retiree from SPS I’ve been requested as a volunteer many times for academics and I have agreed. But sorry no, you’ll have still have to jump through expensive in time consuming hoops to be a volunteer. So, no volunteers. It is more fair that way I guess. I’m not sure what regulation might be so scary for you but the regulations we have now are considerable. The GOP is about removing regulations. But, don’t worry just yet, we’re unlikely to find any. The GOP is busy running the attorney generals office. Clearing out homeless camps from schools that were installed by its own board, and other necessary enforcement activities needed in a civil society.
Checked Already
What makes you think that commenters haven't sat on PTAs, worked for the district, volunteered etc. Perhaps it is you that should Check Yourself.
Common Sense makes a good point about broken people running our education system.
Common Sense
What I CAN say is that what is happening in SPS seems to be leading to more parents making a decision to find another way. Naturally, there could be many reasons but I would say that Jones and the Board certainly don't sound welcoming to ALL parents nor encouraging to ALL parents.
I know for some that would be bitter irony because for many years, some parents of color did not feel welcome in schools or at JSCEE. I never would have expected that once there was an awareness of that, that it meant mostly ignoring a whole new set of parents.
What about considering that every single parent or guardian cares about their kid, their education and their educational experience? I do not believe that is currently happening nor do I hear it in any rhetoric from Jones or the Board.
I thought you were Check Yourself bragging about pta service. But many apologies! I think I misunderstood. I “checked myself”. Anyway similar pseudonyms are confusing. Check Yourself is such obnoxious virtue signaling moniker. It sounds like she’s on the SCPTSA where they’re always telling everyone ELSE to check themselves but they never reflect on the need to do that for themselves.
Common
Meanwhile, political party affiliation should never dictate or exploit how a public school district should be run or what students should be taught at school. However, those boundaries have been already broken since the previous superintendent arrived in Seattle. By identifying herself as a public politician, and as a Democrat, but without much needed managerial skills, Juneau has run SPS aground within 3 years, doing her self-promotion while imitating public education. Her cronies who were installed at the top are still there today, as if the public never deserved better choices. The new superintendent Jones has never taken up the work to disturb it so far. Instead, the circle of incompetent admins grew at huge cost to the public. That seems to say that the public won't have any choice to a better state of Seattle public Schools which they are obliged to fund.
By the way, SPS has decided to use more public dollars as the money for "kings" than as the money for students education like STEM, has it?
Is it fair to not allow the public to pick how well their educational dollars that they pay for could educate their kids, even though we are stuck with the SPS leaders the way they are now?
Lincoln Conservative
Your linkage to a choice for abortion and a choice for public education is near non-existent but good luck with that argument.
Juneau didn't run for the office; a Board hired her. I don't think she particularly ran the district "aground" but she was a self-promoter. What cronies of hers are still around? I'm not sure who you mean because a lot of turnover has happened.
As for the Kings issue, the district has received millions for that effort but I couldn't tell you what pile of money paid for what.
Parents don't want to be education detectives. Vouchers are non-starter that will be nothing but problems.
There *are* no “good old fashioned GOP” board members anymore. The GOP are pushing to privatize, to stop talking about slavery or sex education, to direct public dollars to testing, textbooks etc. I can’t imagine you are in favor of any of this. I don’t love the clique of women running the district via SCPTSA, but in 2022 reality is much more complicated than GOP vs Democrats (both of which the vast majority of Seattleites loathe).
Reality Bites
A: Berge, Campbell, Podesta, Narver, Pedroza, Scarlett, Williams, Pritchett, Del Valle, ... and their contractors using JSCEE (space + resources), including Strategies 360.
The only ones who left were Codd and Kokx, and more admins have been added, but not eliminated. That's not "a lot of turnover" as you called it. the admin cover has shamefully grown. And despite that or as a result of that, there is mostly detriment to show for in terms of providing excellent education.
Lincoln
Tolley, Flip, Brent Jones, Noel Treat - they all left on their own steam.
I think SPS administration IS definitely a problem but probably not in the same way you do.
Thank you for the clarification because I was confused by your comment.
Small class sizes will never happen...especially when we have a board and superintendent that are not interested in transportation reform. They are focused on killing PTA funds which account for 0.4% of the budget and offer opportunities and support for low income schools. The board and superintendent should really be focusing on the fact that they are spending approximately $1.1M PER WEEK on transportation and they are not able to provide services for all students.
I had to respond to Check Yourself because I couldn't take the scolding and judgement. Diversity of opinion isn't welcome, these days.