I must re-state that based on the fact of a six billion dollar cut in the state budget, I believe that we need to look to Tallahassee and a philosophy that does not value public education as the basis of our economic shortfalls. Rather than attack local individuals, I am going to tell you a story.Once upon a time a leader looked at government and decided that entirely too much money was going into it. The unions for government employees are some of the strongest in the country. Big business does not like strong unions. Education was the one area where private industry had no access to the billions spent. And thus Newt Gingrich embarked upon the policy of “starve the beast.” These are his words, not mine. Thus the continued call for lower taxes and greater privatization. But of course, strict governmental oversight of privatization means government interference in the private sector, and we can’t have that. Privatization under Jeb is a book for someone else to write. An awful lot of “friends of Jeb” got a lot of state money. We need some good research on that.
So the economically questionable reliance on a single source of revenue in the state of Florida, the sales tax became even more of a reality here. The intangibles tax was eliminated during Jeb’s reign. An unheard of higher and higher proportion of education funding came from property taxes, until for the first time in modern history, the majority of public education funding came from local sources rather than state funds.
At the same time that was occurring,
a push for vouchers was a major focus of the state legislature under Jeb. Many people are not aware that there is currently a state law that gives businesses a dollar for dollar tax credit from their state corporate taxes to put money into a fund to provide vouchers for economically deprived children. And (this is real chutzpah!) no one can know who has accepted the money or what private schools they are attending. (I love open government, don’t you?) These kids are not taking the FCAT. These schools do not have to meet tougher state standards. This is money that could have been taxes going into the state coffers for public education at a time there is dire need.
The current acrimony between the school system and the teachers’ union here in Miami Dade County must leave those of a certain philosophical bent smiling. This is just what they want. Some conservatives have always seen Miami Dade Schools as much too cozy with the United Teachers of Dade. I believe that the three year contract was entered into with the best of intentions on both sides. The fact that there is a huge budgetary shortfall this year, thanks to Tallahassee, not Rudy Crew, leaves every one in an untenable position. The Union must fight for their raises. Crew must have a balanced budget. Somewhere, Newt is happy. It is working out just the way he wanted it to.
12 comments:
Thanks for this post... I had not realized about the tax credit. That's news to me. But you are absolutely right: where the conservative right could not cut government programs that it hated, like publicly funded education, it set about developing competing programs on an un-level playing field and put huge public resources to the game of hollowing out those programs from the inside. One reason that you hear very, very little from the unions about the high cost of living is that unions have been badly weakened during the past 35 years. How ordinary American wage earners have been persuaded to vote for candidates antithetical to their interests is amazing. As long as the economy was "growing", they could get away with their fictions. But now that we are in a sharp recession, the reality is becoming clear. Don't get me wrong: I am no great fan of any union that protects mediocrity and worse, corruption, but I don't see any comparison between the ills caused by the behavior of unions and the destruction of representative democracy that is going on here. In fact, to the extent that unions support some of these conservative demagogues-- like Natacha Seijas-- I think it is pathetic.
Maybe the problems aren't the school system's reliance on a single source of income, but rather too many famiies' reliance on a single parent household.
“starve the beast” Actually those are the words of the godfather of the neoconservative movement Grover Norquist. But nice post :D
How much of the public school dollars are diverted to charter schools...I don't quite understand the relationship.
I wish there were vouchers available when my kids were little. The schools in my area were, and still are, atrocious -F grade. So, we had to work two jobs in order to send them to private school, while paying taxes for public education. In other words, you cannot convince me that it is a right-wing conspiracy or an elitist attitude to want the best education for our children and if public schools are unable to provide it, or even a safe environment for the kids, I want to have a choice on the matter.
It's ridiculous that at the tender age of 75 we're still paying school taxes. The system stinks!
We all pay school taxes...children or not like we all pay for roads, cars or not. The school system is broken. But how do you try to fix them? By unfunding them?
Taking all the smart children out of the schools just makes them worse. I think that isn't the answer. We are creating a sub-class of students. Having been placed in the "stupid" class makes me think about the destiny and the labels schools place on students. If the students don't think they are worth much, they will achieve less. If families are dysfunctional, students will be dysfunctional. Where do you begin?
Should schools have to socialize students as well as educate them?
Why didn't the poster above try to make the school better instead of removing her child? If more parents got involved, they could help turn things around for other children as well as their own. If we only care about OUR house nothing can ever improve.
In this case OUR house is the entire county and that is the problem. Localize the schools just like the rest of the country. Not municipality control but set up districts which are varied for the most part in demographic makeup and needs. If not you will see more charter schools who offer a better product. Rudy Crew likes big administrations and programs it helps his books sell. The results are unimportant to him, like the guy who hits a golf ball 300 yards but 4 putts and asks did you see that? I hit a great drive. Now I'll write a book and tell you what I did. In the meantime, 30% of his graduates can't read those books and he is not to blame? The buck stops at his laptop.
I have always believed that a county-wide district is one of the good things about the education system in Miami-Dade.
Speading the money from rich districts throughout the County helps provide a much more uniform educational system for all kids.
Could you imagine how lousy the schools in poorer neighborhoods would be if all of the wealthy cities established their own school boards?
As for the charter schools, they do not divert money away from the School Board. They rely solely on FTE money from the state -- money that is based on a per pupil rate.
I don't have to imagine, how are they doing now? It's not the money.
A number of posters have said "parents". That's the key word.
I would venture a guess that a pretty large portion of kids that are in "F" or "D" schools are being raised by a single mom or even grandma who are either too busy, to financially burdened, or too old to keep the kids on the right track.
There are acceptions to the rule. Obviously kids from higher socioeconomic backgrounds stand a better chance.
But honestly, the best thing for a child is a traditional 2 parent household where no one beats anyone and the parents are even marginally involved in their child's life.
M
July 7th Miami Today excerpt:
Schools sit on powder keg, and superintendent has a match
What would happen to a corporate CEO who wouldn't answer directors' questions, gagged them in meetings, made them pay to see the files, battled them in court on the company's dime, skipped their budget workshop, cut back the firm's key product without telling them and then hid a huge deficit?
You know well what would happen, and that's what school board member Renier Diaz de la Portilla wants to happen to Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Rudy Crew for that same menu of actions, and more. He's looking into the legality of voiding Dr. Crew's contract for cause.
The fuse is burning on this political powder keg. Unfortunately, it was Dr. Crew himself, not board members, who struck the match.
Nothing is guaranteed to set off elected officials like arrogance on the part of someone they appoint. A hired hand who sneers at the bosses as has Dr. Crew is in for a hot time, even if — perhaps especially if — he's very good at some parts of his job.
It's unfortunate that it should come to this. As an educational theoretician, Dr. Crew is tops. He has a national reputation. It's hard to disagree with his key concepts. His aims for children are admirable.
But theory is one thing. Getting everyone on the same page is something far different. And trying to keep a school board on your lesson plan by ignoring or intimidating dissenters works only so long as you can keep the board divided and the dissenters in the distinct minority.
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