I agree with the statement that was made that they are our schools, they answer to us, so get involved if we want them better. However, I would qualify all that with "should." The problems I see aren't just that parents aren't involved enough in their children's lives and schools(for a variety of reasons many aren't), it's partly that the ones who are can't get anything changed it seems. More and more we see things going on in school from the way the budget is handled to discipline in the classroom to curriclum (social and academic) that we don't like - but that we don't seem to be able to control. There are a lot of special interest groups who push their particular agenda who seem to have more control than parents. It's great that PTA wants to be an organization that wants to represent the parents and children - but too often they are coming in on the side of the special interests whose ideas the parents are opposed to. So then what? From what I cant tell - there really is no way to influence what the PTA leadership already thinks. You either have to agree and jump on board, be ignorant and jump on board (which I think is how most of PTA funding comes), or jump ship and look for some other way to influence schools or else bail on them. Unless the schools truly do answer to the taxpayers in general - they are almost like "private" schools under the control of politicians and special interests and their social and educational experiments. At least with vouchers parents could try to choose which agenda they could have pushed on their kids. I think one of the biggest things vouchers will do is shake things up - get the school administrations attention that they *are* accountable to the parents and taxpayers. Money seems to be a big motivator - so I think it is a way for the parents to actually get the attention they should be getting anyway.
I know many wonderful teachers and administrators by the way - but I also know that there are a lot of people who are not in touch with what is best for these kids - or who have poor decision making skills and are not handling the schools well.
Boy oh boy is this a hot issue. Personally I agree with those that say vouchers are not the final solution, however they are a step in the right direction. The problem with schools in my district is that most of the money goes to the top brass (Super, Vice Super,......) and does not go to those services which are needed for the children. We have so many political animals working in our district that don't do their job, don't give a darn about the children and participate heavily in the "Good Ol' Boy" network as well as being very political to boot. Many times we as Presidents of Parent Clubs have been approached to support or sponsor bond issues and other issues that would raise the taxes in our area to pay for new schools, when the district as a whole is failing to educate (properly) those children in the schools we now have. I have seen parents pull children out less than satisfactory schools and move them to schools that were exceeding with fantastic results. Many times their is an exodus of staff as well, which should tell the district officials that there is something wrong, but oh no! Everyone covers the others behind and the children end up losing. It really does no good to complain as the top echelon is so well connected politically, that in the end failing scores are swept under the rug and the family and children suffer and are labeled "a troublemaker". If we offered vouchers to help defray the costs and then had a system of scholarships ( and maybe loans) to help the kids get the education that the 21st century demands, we might see some action taken to entice students into the schools and the schools that are failing, if they want to "stay in business" will have to revamp their attitude and market the school to attract parents and students.
Also would just like to add that the PTA is most definately up to their eyebrows politically and those of us that disagree with the PTA are not so naive to think otherwise. PTA may couch their actions behind legitimate lobbying, however they do purport certain political agendas around the country.
Thanks for listening and thanks for making this a great read
People who support vouchers are "misinformed", "deluded", "uninformed", etc. etc. etc. Here's an idea. Lets brand anyone who proposes a new and different approach that the PTA and teachers unions oppose with a a big scarlet "V". That way these people and their "misinformed ideas" can really be insulted correctly! Give me a break!
two things: 1) Vouchers are a first step, not a final step in improving our schools. They WILL point out schools which are failing so that improvements can be made. They will help students escape failing schools they are not comfortable with. BOTH will improve education. 2) Public schools need to change the way they are funded. It is the system which helps perpetuate the failure of our public schools and that system must and can be changed. Since the early 1970's begining with the landmark case of Sereno vs. Priest in the State of California, the way schools are funded produces many inequalities in education. Since that time many other state supreme courts have determined that funding education primaily through local property taxes is unconstitutional (See Rose vs. State of Kentucky, 1989) and sets up vast differences in the quality of education in our public school system. Also Read "Savage Inequalities", 1991, by Johnathan Kozol. Introduce vouchers at the federal level, fund the system equally at the federal level, and you've somewhat leveled the playing field.
I'll end with this:
In Thomas Paines "Rights of Man", 1792, he first proposed an early voucher system and claimed it was the persons right to choose their education. He believed that every child should recieve a voucher from the English government to attend "whatever school they choose", for a term of six years.
He was right then, and vouchers are right now. Is that "uninformed enough for you?"
Anyone who deludes themselves into thinking that vouchers are a viable option or even a step in the right direction is either not informed or has been fed a bunch of misinformation. Forget about which school, public or private, you may wish to send your child to, no one is going to opt to take their child out of one failing school and put them into another failing one, so the bottom line is that the failing schools are just going to lose money. I don't know about anyone else, but I cannot imagine any scenario in which taking funding out of a failing school will do anything to help make it a better school.
As for the teachers unions trying to hold onto their power, all of you people keep talking about how bad your teachers are and then you want to take away any bit of power they have. These people have chosen a profession that pays among the lowest salary compared to eduction needed, to teach your children. If you really want to improve all of our schools, maybe you should think about making teachers' earning potentials better so you attract more of the best in brightest into this noble profession instead of continually trying to take away their power to defend themselves and then (complain) about how bad they are and how everything is their fault.
Here's a solution, all of you that think that a voucher, which will only partially help you send your child to a private school, take the balance of that tuition you would have spent, and give it to the teachers.
Vouchers are not the answer, nor are they a step in the right direction to solving our schools problems.
[Edited for language -- ed]
[This message has been edited by Rockne (edited 03-29-2001).]
"Vast Majority of Americans..."???? Believe in Vouchers???? Really???? Then why are voucher proposals consistently being defeated all over the country???? Your right, the education of our children is our responsibility. We pay taxes that support public schools, they are our schools! If yours isn't, take it back! You are the consumer, they work for you. Make them better, don't drain them of funding and give it to private schools where you have NO control! People talk about vouchers creating competition, where there is competition, there are winners and losers. We can not afford to allow some children to be losers!
To me, the fundamental question in the school choice discussion is this: WHOSE KIDS ARE THEY, ANYWAY? And the follow-up question is: Who is responsible for the education of our children? It is clear that two camps exist, with two opposing answers. One camp says the kids are the responsibility of the government, that the state must determine what is best for children. Unfortunately for these people, their socialistic theories do not work. The correct answer to the question, as understood by the vast majority of Americans is this: THEY ARE OUR KIDS AND WE -- their PARENTS -- are responsible for their education! It's about time we parents stood up and demanded an end to government-mandated, one-size-fits-all schooling for our children. We are paying taxes for a system which no longer works. It relies on 19th century methodologies for 21st century needs. Teacher unions are desperately clinging to their power, knowing that their time is short. What will they do when the majority of parents are forced -- out of fear and loathing -- to leave the public schools? Give us our money in the form of vouchers, give us our children back!
