Lance Hill in New Orleans knows what it is like to have no democratic control of schools funded with taxpayer dollars (so do people in New York City, but that’s another topic).
He writes:
Local democratic control of schools is the last remaining obstacle to the complete privatization of public education. For that reason alone, the movement to save public education needs to make this a central program tenet.
Locally elected boards are the only entity that has the mission of keeping public schools public. They have a vested interest in retaining public control of schools and ensuring quality education since their actions directly impact local community life. That don’t always live up to that mission, but democracy allows us to hold them accountable. State control is no different than federal control since state elected officials are more susceptible to lobbying and legalized bribery (called “campaign distributions) and nearly impossible to access and recall. Local board elections, unlike any other elected office, provide an opportunity for voters to specifically vote up or down education issues and not compromise their vote because they agree with a candidate’s stand on other non-education policies. Local school board elections are normally the only opportunity for the direct expression of the will of the people on education issues. I agree that local democracy is rife with problems. But democracy, unlike privatized education, is self-correcting. Corrupt and incompetent boards can be thrown out of office. Local democratic control does not preclude state standards and state and federal protection for liberties, equal rights and due process. There is an appropriate role in local education for state and federal government and there is also an appropriate role for locally elected schools boards. In the past when local boards have done stupid and corrupt things and violated the rights of students and teachers, we have often turned to the judiciary and state and federal government for remedies. But local democracy has always been a balance of the rights of a community and the rights of individuals that the community has the power to neglect or abuse. That balance has shifted dramatically toward hierarchical and corporate control of education which now makes paramount the role of local democracy as the guardian of public education. This is the time to put aside our misgivings about aspects of local control and make common cause with all who want to keep public education public. Once we save public education from the usurpers, we can return to fighting (with each other) for intelligent, honest, and accountable education. If we lose local control of schools, we permanently lose the right and ability to control those elements of a good public education. |
Lance Hill sums up a reason we want “elected, local boards”. There is also another reason and that is without a local elected board, the privateers can continue to raise local taxes to support the corporations greed. This is “taxation without representaton”. The school board is close to the people, and the people’s voice and opinions may be heard. I do not see anyone listening to good teachers and parents across this nation now.
In Arizona, some local school boards are making the schools charters, but the people can always vote them out or recall them. One small district made four of its five schools charter schools in order to obtain approximately 1,600.00 per student. Charter Schools
are not cheap!
Speaking of Louisiana, Diane, this is a BIG STORY, and deserves to be circulated far and wide. It underscores what we all know is going on down in Jindal’s state: http://www.thetowntalk.com/article/20120703/NEWS01/207030324/Email-shows-Louisiana-schools-chief-tried-muddy-up-state-s-voucher-vetting-process?odyssey=mod|mostview
In Michigan, we are all on tenterhooks wondering what the imposition of state control over Detroit Public Schools will mean. DPS’s Emergency Manager gets to call all of the shots:
http://www.freep.com/article/20120703/NEWS01/207030342/DPS-contract-to-cut-teacher-benefits?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
In CA county office boards do not hire and fire supts. Supts are elected and boards can only influence! Suots hqve way too much power and last word in personnel matters! The only way to remove a supt is by election. Yet the cou nty offices teach altenative ed, ans special ed. SH and deaf and hard of hearing
One again Lance Hill has nailed it. New Orleans, ground zero for the privatization of public education, is a national model for education reform but it’s certainly not the model being touted by the privateers. New Orleans shows the nation that the privatization of public education doesn’t work. In the last seven years New Orleans has not had the all the obstacles for improving public education that has been repeatedly stated over the years by advocates for privatization of public education: teacher unions, elected school boards, get rid of those old bad teachers and most importantly the total adoption of the market based model. In this hurdle-free environment for the last seven years the market based schools run by the Louisiana Department of Education in New Orleans ranks a miserable 69 out of 70 schools district in achievement on the state’s standardized test in Louisiana. These schools have also performed terribly in serving the special needs population, suspension /expulsion rate 10 times the national average along with other equity issues that have severely impacted the poor and minority community.
All of this has happened with no local board, this tragedy has been under the watchful eye of the state education board which has appointed and elected members. Of the 11 members on the board only one member represents 90% of New Orleans.
I don’t think there is any better example in the country for locally elected boards.
Quite ironic –
“Nearly everyone agrees on the problems: overemphasis on rote memorization, a top-down instructional style that crushes individuality and a near-total reliance on exams to evaluate progress. But educational reform is a fraught process in any country, China perhaps more than elsewhere.”
http://latitude.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/03/a-liberal-arts-education-made-in-china/?ref=opinion
A Liberal Arts Education, Made in China
Reuters
You are right on target. I’m suprised to see so many female students in Chinese schools. Poor little children, they are worn out from the programmed instruction and tests just as our children are and it will get worse unless some brave souls stop this nonsense and abuse to our children.
I found, in my files, the lastest research that I did on the USSR in the 90’s -shows that children can not obtain attention after a certain amount of time, and the time is related to age. The USSR cut back the time of instruction because it was non-productive, and hopefully for humaine purposes. One would think any fool would know this that has ever dealt with children, animals or humans!
And despite these statistics, people like John Stossel will tout New Orleans out to be the best thing that has happened in education.
Please take a moment to review these links:
Governor asked to step in –
http://www.martincountydefender.com/pages/current.html
http://www.martincountydefender.com/281.html
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/jun/29/martin-county-school-board-cuts-severance-pay-to/
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2012/jun/27/conflict-moves-investigation-into-alleged-law-by/
Please view. This is why we definitely need the opportunity to elect county officials.
http://www.cbs12.com/news/features/treasure-coast/stories/vid_164.shtml
I agree that local school boards are important. My concern, from a Canadian perspective, is they are at the bottom of the political world. I look at who is on our school board and wonder if this is who we want wrestling with the local issues of schools. Fundamentally, the closer we are to community the better it is for democracy. School boards should reflect the local community and the schools, but I don’t see that happening.What would be an alternative or alternatives to attract strong people into the fray?
http://www.thenation.com/blog/168283/school-closures-and-accusations-segregation-louisiana