What’s to be done? Parents are distraught, school district budgets and property taxes are skyrocketing, and there’s bullying and declining academic outcomes in public schools. State legislators shrug their shoulders. They don’t know what to do. Most of them don’t even think they’re responsible for the mess. It “just happened.”
But the problem is “so serious that a legislative solution is needed immediately.” Suddenly and simultaneously, all across the nation, state governments are instituting “bail out” plans for students to leave failing public schools. Orchestrated, much? Does it look that way to you too? The so-called conservative solution is a new “entitlement,” but don’t worry about who’s going to pay for it. Just play the victim and get your handout, which, by the way, is a super addictive habit that’s super hard to kick.
The acting Chair of the NH Board of Education writes editorials lobbying for “bail out” funds and computing the “minimal” cost of this new state venture. Too bad he doesn’t know how to fix the public schools. Too bad “leadership, support and oversight” of public schools is in such short supply.
A while back states took handouts from the federal government in exchange for implementing federal mandates. States have become dependent on this money. They can’t let go. Look around. Every state accepted federal education grants and implements the same uniform federal mandates. And, mysteriously, public schools are suddenly failing nationwide.
State legislatures somehow believe that accepting federal grants and implementing mandates absolves them from all responsibility for the results. After all, federal experts, who have absolutely no constitutional authority over education, designed them. These experts must know what they’re doing.
Common core was adopted by states even before the standards were completely written. Who needs to read the proposal as long as it sounds good? Subsequently, student achievement declined, which puzzles the heck out of legislators.
The flawed common core standards were crammed down onto public schools. Districts were required to administer state assessments, then to implement inequitable competency grading, next to set up invasive student data tracking systems, and ultimately impose Social Emotional Learning, i.e, behavior modification, or indoctrination, programs. Gotta make sure students have the correct values, attitudes and beliefs, not family values, to become proper global citizens, not Americans.
Here’s the New Hampshire State Board of Education’s mission statement:
Don’t you worry, our students are right on track with their global citizen instruction, if nothing else.
New Hampshire accepts about $350 million a year in federal education handouts. This money requires implementation of mandates which cause public schools to fail. $350 million is only about 8.75% of our annual education expense, yet these mandates are have utterly transformed public education, are mind-bogglingly expensive, requiring “significant” administrative overhead.
The overwhelming evidence says that federal mandates are harmful to academic outcomes in New Hampshire and in every other state. Yet, no one backs off. No one stops taking the federal bribes, so the mandates continue. Everyone needs money. No one knows how to say “no.” Forget about failing students, there are budgets to maintain, buildings to repair, and careers to fund.
Thus, we have a nationwide education crisis. Costs sky-rocket while academic outcomes plummet. Parents don’t know where to turn and are understandably upset.
Remarkably, state legislatures are proposing nearly identical remedies: state funded handouts to “bail out” students from failing public schools. With this “bail out” plan the handout addiction and dependency continues.
Why is no one proposing to fix the public schools? That would be the responsible approach. Do legislators and governors want the public schools to remain broken?
In every state, parents complain that public schools are “unsafe,” due to unchecked bullying, in turn due to the implementation of restorative justice discipline mandates. Or maybe the public schools are just plain “unsuitable” for students who prefer academics over indoctrination.
Given how poorly public schools perform, our newly elected governor supports universal handouts without any income restrictions. That’s $5k, or more, per year for students to LEAVE the public schools. She thinks this will solve the crisis and supposedly save the state money. Really? It’s still all about the money, not doing what’s right for students.
Why is no one proposing to fix the public schools? Legislators claim that public schools are mysteriously “unfixable.” No one takes responsibility for the mess. It “just happened.” No one is to blame. Really?
So taxpayers will end up funding both public and private schools with these new handouts. After all, parents need the money. Who doesn’t?
—> Universal handouts won’t help families who can’t afford the time or expense to transport students to and from the private school without busing. These students are trapped in the failing public schools.
—> Universal handouts won’t help families who can’t afford the differential between the handouts and the private school tuition. These students are trapped.
—> Universal handouts won’t help rural public school students. They’re trapped because they can”t switch to a nearby private school which doesn’t exist.
Families of trapped public school students will have to pay for the public school students who switch over to private schools, in addition to funding their public schools. That’s fair, or the Governor and Legislature wouldn’t propose it. Right?
Having the state fund both public and private schools undermines the free market. The results will be higher costs, invasive regulations just like those in public schools drowning in federal mandates, and poor academic outcomes.
Given that there’s no will to fix public school problems, why would anyone think there will be any motivation to protect private schools from the same fate? Regulations and state accountability will follow. Maybe the unstated goal is to destroy private schools, i.e. get them in alignment with the public schools.
To control citizens the state needs to become the source of the student’s values, attitudes and beliefs, and vilify anyone who disagrees. A well trained Social Emotional Learning teacher will scold a student until he cowers and denies his family values and repeats what the teacher says. Indoctrinated students will reinforce what the teacher says. Train students while they’re young and malleable.
Forget what politicians say, or give you, to make you happy and not ask questions. Look at their actions. Education freedom will be gone when all forms of education are state-funded, students are forced to use the same dangerous state-mandated curriculum, and are indoctrinated in the same manner. Once freedom’s gone, it’s nearly impossible to restore.
It’s time to get back to basics. Fix our public schools. Focus on academics, without federal handouts or indoctrination.
