A Ray of Hope for Public Education

Traditional Water Seller of Morocco - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Mrs. Calkins, Mrs. Peasley, Mrs. Fowler, Mrs. Thompson, and Mr. Burky were my elementary school teachers in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and the primary reason why my classmates and I received a strong educational foundation. Why aren’t more of them around to teach the next generation?

Every so often one witnesses clues that both ends of the political spectrum are converging to address a serious problem which threatens to undermine the welfare of the country. This most recent evidence, Joel Klein’s “Scenes from the Class Struggle,” was published in the June 2011 issue of The Atlantic.

Joel Klein served for eight years as Chancellor of the New York City school system. He aimed to reform an ailing school system by placing the welfare of students first, forcing the powerful American Federation of Teachers Union (AFT) to reward teachers according to merit rather than longevity, and adapting a competitive curriculum for the nation’s largest school system. At nearly every turn he was thwarted by the AFT, and although some progress was made, it paled in comparison to what could have been accomplished.

The imbroglio will never be resolved until parents have a choice where their children attend school -- public, private, parochial, or military. (“Waiting for Superman”) In the end it is all about money, and as long as the public school system is guaranteed to receive all of it, then there is little impetus to change. The facts cannot be more clear: excellent teachers make an enormous positive impact in regard to student performance and well educated students are more likely to succeed in today’s technical society.

Without competition public educators will never regain their preeminence as the primary advocate for America’s children. As it stands, school administrators and teachers’ unions have more in common with the robber barons of the 18th and 19th centuries than protector of society’s most cherished asset.

Too Much Weight for Secretariat

Senecio Kilimanjari - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

Anyone involved in the horse racing business knows horses are handicapped by adding weight to their saddles. Add enough weight and even Sea Biscuit or Secretariat will not win, more weight means a dead last finish, and finally the burden becomes so great a once great horse will be injured permanently. The California public school system was once the thoroughbred of the country’s public schools, but now is so encumbered that it performs like a horse ready for the glue factory.

Last week the California Senate approved legislation which would require all public schools to teach gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history. The proposed law further stipulates that by the 2013-2014 school year the California Board of Education and local school districts provide text books which speak to the contributions of sexual minorities. The legislation must pass the State Assembly and be approved by Governor Brown to become law.

It is prudent to examine this issue from its impact on the public education system and discard the emotional distractions which do little to clarify the argument. With America’s abysmal performance in math and sciences and with far too few native born students entering the engineering disciplines, our international competitors, who fully understand the importance of the hard sciences, must once again be thrusting their arms upward in triumph. Already in California the academic curriculum is watered down with meaningless course work, and teachers are mandated to teach to the lowest denominator. Now cash strapped local districts will scrap what remains of worthwhile programs to purchase new history books which pass muster with the San Francisco political elite.

Most of us do not care if Leonardo da Vinci was gay. We understand his contributions to mankind transcended sexuality, and it is far more important to study the works of his genius than speculate where he liked to place his private parts. Ironically, historians wonder whether or not Adolph Hitler was homosexual, and again the answer is it does not make any difference. Will the advocates of compulsory gay history but as forthcoming with their devils as with their angels? The message is clear - gays, lesbians, and all other sexual minorities have the same moral proclivities as heterosexuals, and it is a waste of time and money to further gut the quality of the public school curriculum to deal with these peripheral academic curiosities.

If parents had financial control over where their children attended kindergarten through 12th grade, the machinations of the California Legislature would make little difference. Few would elect to spend vouchers on an inferior education which does not prepare their loved ones for a very competitive world. As it is, the public school system faces a continued downward spiral as politicians foist social activism on a educational process that is currently doing a poor job. Where does it end?

The Education Bucket List

Milford Trek, South Island, New Zealand. Photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie discusses poorly performing schools and the influence of the teachers' union:

http://hotair.com/archives/2010/06/02/quote-of-the-day-590/

Not long ago I received an Internet sourced speech purportedly given by a high school principal in Florida. The content of the message amounted to a wish list of the changes necessary to extricate the failing public school system from itself:



"To the students and faculty of our high school, I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.



First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships. The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity -- your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity-,race- and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values -- E Pluribus Unum, "from many, one." And this school will be guided by America's values. This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness. Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism -- an unhealthy preoccupation with the self -- while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interesting in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.



Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America's citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here -- it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English -- but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.



Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.



Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's property -- whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can't speak without using the f-word, you can't speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as "Nigger," even when used by one black student to address another black, or "bitch," even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.



Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way -- the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago -- by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.



Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will be devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky -- to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you."

It is difficult to imagine any public school official giving this speech, much less implementing the six step program. The scenario is so far fetched that it is difficult to believe the principal is a real person rather than someone's personified argument concocted to exemplify the ideal classroom atmosphere. The outcry from teachers' unions, civil rights organizations, politicians, and the media would reach such a cacophony of protest that the “principal” would be forced to recant, resign, or temper his ardor.

For the sake of today's public school students I hope the “principal” does exist, but it is more plausible to envision this character in a private school setting where parents insist their children receive a first rate education. Until the public school system is forced to compete against private, religious, and military schools, they will fall father behind and the professions of the “principal” will become more distant. The solution is as simple as a voucher which allows parents and students to determine the school of their choice. The innovation will transform the educational system instantly, provide opportunity to children of all socioeconomic backgrounds, and establish an atmosphere where superb teachers are rewarded accordingly while poor ones will have to consider other career fields. Vouchers will transform the “principal's” bucket list from fantasy to the norm and catapult the beleaguered public school system from mediocrity to excellence.

Mom and Dad, I Want to Work for the Post Office!

Olive Trees near Moulay Idris, Morocco - photo by JoAnn Sturman

Scott Sturman
fliesinyoureyes.com


Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

Parents like to talk about their children – where they plan to go to school and their future occupations. It is refreshing to listen to their hopes and aspirations, but lately an unsettling trend has visited the discussion. Not uncommonly these young adults are contemplating jobs based their retirement benefits rather than intellectual stimulation or the prospect of owning one's company. It is a different mind set. Play it safe, do what one is told to do, and then settle into a comfortable retirement. Better to opt for a secure career with the United States Postal Service than the risky proposition of venturing out independently into a profession which will consume most of adult life and where failure can lead to a Social Security funded retirement.

Two recent articles, one an op-ed piece from the Wall Street Journal and the other "The False Promise of Public Pensions" by Hess and Squire from Policy Review, address this change in occupational priorities and illustrate two fundamental issues which are at the heart of the problem – the high percentage of unionized public employees and the defined benefit pension plan.

2009 was the watershed year when the number of public union employees outnumbered those in the private sector. 51.4% of the 15.4 million union members in the United States now work for the government. Although overall union membership has dropped from 24% of all workers in 1973 to 12% at present, unionized government workers have increased from 23% to 36% over the same time period. Even the progressive President Franklin Roosevelt, who vehemently supported industrial unionization, felt there were profound conflicts of interest when unionization extended into the public sector.

With the exception of members of the armed forces whose constant relocation during their careers makes it difficult to generate retirement savings through home equity, public and private employers should not be in the business of offering defined benefit retirement plans. Currently 20% of workers in the private sector have these plans compared to 90% of those employed by the public sector. In 2008 the Pew Research Center found state pension funds were $731 billion short of their $2.7 trillion potential obligation. This has deteriorated since the recession. Only last month the Pew Center on the States reevaluated the condition of state pensions and found the shortfall to be $1 trillion. If one examines the industries and government agencies which have failed or are in financial jeopardy, a large share are in this position due to retirement benefits offered to their employees. The American automotive and airline industries, states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, California, and New Jersey, and numerous county and municipal governments are financially crippled due to the accumulation of retirement obligations. The plans are too expensive to fund and promote inefficiencies in the economy by making it virtually impossible for employees to switch jobs during their working careers without losing retirement benefits. Unusually generous retirement plans increase tax burdens for younger workers who may never see these rewards but are forced to pay for retirees who receive compensation for decades after retirement.

The financial health of private and public institutions would be improved if employees were paid an actuarially determined higher salary during their working years and owned their individual 401K plans. This option insures portability of benefits and protects employees if either the company fails or underfunded government pension accounts cannot meet their obligations. Public and private employees no longer are constrained to work for a single employer simply for fear of losing their pension plan benefits. Employers, on the other hand, are more competitive in the market place, since portable retirement plans encourage better access to the labor market and relieve the company of the burden of funding defined benefit pensions years after the employee leaves the organization.

Interestingly enough, teachers are the most highly unionized profession in America, comprising 4.6 million members or 80% of all teachers. Their pension fund is in trouble in California with over $22 billion in unfunded liabilities. Now this large sector of public employees faces reduction of retirement benefits or delayed retirement unless taxpayers make up the difference.

Teaching arguably provides the most important service to society and is comprised of some of the most selfless and dedicated professionals to be found, but it is increasing more difficult to attract high quality applicants and provide the quality of education the public demands. Hardly a day goes by without a headline bemoaning underachieving student performance and the need for more money to correct the problem.

Unions reward seniority, and once a teacher is vested retirement benefits are guaranteed. This discourages the movement of teachers to other districts and promotes animosity on the part of young teachers who must financially support their older vested colleagues. The rigidity of the system discourages innovation and without competition offers the student few suitable alternatives. Unions proclaim to be the salvation of public education, but their nemesis, school vouchers are the solution for putting the needs of children first. They allow parents to choose the best schools for their children, reward the most capable teachers, and force public schools to make prudent financial choices. (Portability of K-12 Education http://flies-beentherereadthat.blogspot.com/2009/11/portability-of-k-12-education.html). Once parents have control of the financial resources to educate their children, they are free to choose between public or private education. The public school system will either provide a competitive product or lose its market share – unless, of course, it receives a bail out from the government.

ADDENDUM:

Even with rules in place, waste and incompetence pervade the public sector. The following case illustrates the corruption and lack of financial accountability inherent in government: Two weeks ago the Fresno Bee published an article produced by California Watch, a non profit investigative reporting project. The author Chase Davis detailed the abuses in payments to employees terminating their services with the State of California for non used vacation and leave times. From 2006 to 2009 fifty-two thousand employees collected nearly a half billion dollars in benefits. Although many state workers are able to legally amass a generous 80 days of vacation time, most abusers illegally exceed this limit. A particularly egregious instance occurred when one high ranking official was fired for serious indiscretions but then was reimbursed $550,000 for six times the legal accrued vacation limit. The grand prize goes to a physician who worked at the Corcoran State Prison who was given $815,000 cash severance pay largely due to credits for twice the legal vacation time and ten times the limit of compensation time – all paid at the employee's highest salary while working for the state. Not surprisingly, the state employees' union sprung to their defense and found nothing amiss.