Election year approaches - the solution to the education problem.

Dec 9 08:49 UTC 2003

As we are approaching another primary season in addition to a major
election cycle I thought I would reveal a little known secret solution
to the problem of "education reform" that has been a well used and
abused political stocking horse for about half a century or more.  Its a
secret solution that nobody who has a vested interest wants to consider.
Its very simple and doesn't involve complicated voucher systems or lots
more tax funded initiatives - or even unfunded initiatives or
standardized testing.  And its very simple in that it already has a vast
body of common law behind it.  Doesn't require Supreme Court oversight
or questions of separation of church and state.  Doesn't even require
more tax dollars.  So simple you wonder why nobody supports it.

Require all employees of public school systems to send their children to
one.  

Its that simple.  

Just like many firemen or policemen are required to be residents of the
entity that pays them, require all employees of public school systems to
send their children to public school. Require those employed by the
taxpayers to consume their own work product.

response 2 of 29:

Dec 9 12:11 UTC 2003

In, uh, the Bush admin?  Standardized tests?  "No child left behind"?  
WHAT IS IT??

response 4 of 29:

Dec 9 14:43 UTC 2003

they were talking the other day about a district wehre the teacher was removed
in a dispute with the children in her calss, adn she was amking $75,000.00

response 6 of 29:

Dec 9 15:10 UTC 2003

In my experience, public school teachers have a certain loyalty to the
public schools.

On the other hand, it's not hard to imagine a situation where a child
has special needs not met by the public schools.

I remember a prominent politician who was very committed to public
education.  He was elected to a major position, moved to the capital, and
sent his son to the public schools there.  But the son had pretty bad
time.  He was targeted, beaten up by toughs day after day, and I think
they broke some bones.  Eventually, a deal was quietly worked out to send
him to a suburban school district.

Sure, it would have been easy to nail the father to the wall about this
politically.  But what the hell else could he have done?  Provide a
bodyguard and make his son even more conspicuous?

Holding kids hostage to politics has a certain appeal, especially if you
see teachers as the problem.  Maybe in the long run it might change things
for the better.  But the needs of the kids in the present need to come
first.

response 8 of 29:

Dec 9 16:27 UTC 2003

I'm sure the market has changed over the past few years, but when I
graduated from college in 2000 a lot of my friends who had BS degrees in
engineering and no experience were starting at $60,000.  So basically,
by going into education you cut your wage-earning potential by more than
half, even if you pick a school district that pays relatively well.

response 10 of 29:

Dec 9 20:17 UTC 2003

I wish Iwas making a salary of $40,000 at any position I have ever worked.