Wednesday, February 08, 2006
HOW TO CONTROL THE ARGUMENT
I listened to part of an interview yesterday afternoon on the Tom Parker show on KPAM. Tom, a pretty conservative fellow (from all I hear on his show) had Vicki Phillips on. I must say Tom seemed a little credulous as he listened and reacted to the standard litany (SL) from Phillips about "funding cuts", teacher layoffs, shortened school years, etc. She even brought up my favorite, how administrative costs account for only about 4% of PPS' budget after all the streamlining and "hard work" she and the school board have done.
Near the end of the interview Phillips asserted (I can't quote exactly) that they (she and the school board) "... turned over all the rocks to find cost savings and now there was nothing left to do but ask for more taxes." ("or else", see SL above ).
The most dramatic idea she tossed out other than the SL was closing more schools. Why? Just because there aren't nearly enough kids to warrant keeping about a dozen of them open? That only sounds drastic to Phillips because it might jeopardize her job.
I realized that she and the board had evidently not turned over some of the biggest "rocks" in the system. I realized that, apparently, some rocks were - like cartoons of Muhammed - sacred.
If they ever want to provide a good education "for the kids" and not just placate the OEA by providing a good deal "for the teachers", here are a few "rocks" that the school board had better turn over:
Huge PERS costs - how to reduce them.
PPS historic weakness in contract negotiations. A stunning (in any other milieu) demonstration of the board's lack of backbone and real responsibility to their employers - the taxpayers (not just the special interest groups, and I include parents).
Vouchers/Charter Schools
Privatization
and, scariest of all,
Means tested tuition for public school students.
All these ideas are out there - all proposed by one or more folks with solid credentials in the education field (as opposed to me). The sole reason they aren't seriously considered is the power and PR of the teachers unions; aided and abetted by parent activists who short-sightedly buy into the OEABS. Band-Aids will no longer work. The patient is hemorraging. Major surgery is required.
As for new taxes,
I listened to part of an interview yesterday afternoon on the Tom Parker show on KPAM. Tom, a pretty conservative fellow (from all I hear on his show) had Vicki Phillips on. I must say Tom seemed a little credulous as he listened and reacted to the standard litany (SL) from Phillips about "funding cuts", teacher layoffs, shortened school years, etc. She even brought up my favorite, how administrative costs account for only about 4% of PPS' budget after all the streamlining and "hard work" she and the school board have done.
Near the end of the interview Phillips asserted (I can't quote exactly) that they (she and the school board) "... turned over all the rocks to find cost savings and now there was nothing left to do but ask for more taxes." ("or else", see SL above ).
The most dramatic idea she tossed out other than the SL was closing more schools. Why? Just because there aren't nearly enough kids to warrant keeping about a dozen of them open? That only sounds drastic to Phillips because it might jeopardize her job.
I realized that she and the board had evidently not turned over some of the biggest "rocks" in the system. I realized that, apparently, some rocks were - like cartoons of Muhammed - sacred.
If they ever want to provide a good education "for the kids" and not just placate the OEA by providing a good deal "for the teachers", here are a few "rocks" that the school board had better turn over:
Huge PERS costs - how to reduce them.
PPS historic weakness in contract negotiations. A stunning (in any other milieu) demonstration of the board's lack of backbone and real responsibility to their employers - the taxpayers (not just the special interest groups, and I include parents).
Vouchers/Charter Schools
Privatization
and, scariest of all,
Means tested tuition for public school students.
All these ideas are out there - all proposed by one or more folks with solid credentials in the education field (as opposed to me). The sole reason they aren't seriously considered is the power and PR of the teachers unions; aided and abetted by parent activists who short-sightedly buy into the OEABS. Band-Aids will no longer work. The patient is hemorraging. Major surgery is required.
As for new taxes,
"If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.
"If you always do what you've always done and expect different results - you're insane.
It's time to employ a different educational paradigm, and a willingness to discuss the dismal state government controlled education is in today is the real test of whether someone cares about this society and its children. ...the consequences of staying on our current path are more than anyone is willing to pay."
Or, like students, forced to pay.
¶ 11:33 AM 
