California Conservative

Dr. Frankenstein: Igor, would you mind telling me
whose brain I did put in?
Igor: And you won’t be angry?
Dr. Frankenstein: I will NOT be angry.
Igor: Abby someone.
Dr. Frankenstein: Abby someone. Abby who?
Igor: Abby Normal.
Dr. Frankenstein: Abby Normal?
Igor: I’m almost sure that was the name.
Dr. Frankenstein: Are you saying that I put an abnormal brain into a seven and a half foot long, fifty-four inch wide GORILLA? IS THAT WHAT YOU’RE TELLING ME?

AMID CONFLICTING STORIES, the LA Daily News reports that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants to take control of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). While I agree that gaining control over the District’s 87,000 union employees offers some political advantages, I doubt that swapping brains with LA’s educational Frankenstein will help any of the 727,000 children already stunted by years of scholastic retardation.

Except for abortion and the welfare state, America’s public schools may be the most wasteful and destructive anti-child bureaucracy in history. District apologists often blame money, culture, and parents for their failures. But after nearly two generations of decline we have to wonder whether the District’s failure was a deliberate policy to dummify our children rather than a forty-year accident. Whether intentional or not, America’s enemies could not have devised a more cunning plan to sabotage our nation’s future. And like any cancer, when we feed this disease it only gets bigger.

As I described here and here, the Democratic Party cannot survive without the millions of laborers who make up their powerful union base. The same union leaders charged with educating our children are conflicted by their need to populate union ranks with undereducated workers. Teacher unions empower mediocrity to extort inflated salaries and benefits from schools crippled by union teachers. Democrats empower unions that empower them, turning the bond between students, parents, and teachers into an adversarial relationship.

For almost two generations, taxpayers and children have been losing this war through dumbnification, and there’s no sign that public education will improve anytime soon. As a result, the decline of personal income over the next 15 years is expected to be only one of many negative consequences expected by The National Center of Public Policy and Higher Education. Former LAUSD teacher Ari Kaufman also describes many of LAUSD’s failures at a blog he shares with Aaron Hanscom, who blames fatherless households (another liberal welfare state legacy).

I’m no math genius, but if LAUSD’s $13 billion budget was spent on our kids we’d have more than $17,000 a year to invest for each student. So while I support public education, reforms must occur immediately. I suggest the following:

1. Voters must pressure democrats for school vouchers so parents can choose competitive private schools for their children.
2. Public schools should provide education for high-achievers (top 33 percent).
3. For students not qualified for public school, parents can select private schools of their choice paid with LAUSD funds.
4. Failing or undisciplined high school students (9-12th grade) shall be given the choice to attend private trade schools that focus on skills like carpentry, electrical work, plumbing, construction, and so forth. Those who refuse can select boarding schools where discipline, academics, and behavioral modification training are available. Many schools like these are available and, as demand increases, more can be built privately within a short period.
5. Outlaw tenure for public school teachers.

Like other professionals, many teachers burn out. With today’s demand for great teachers, top performers need tenure as much as Tiger Woods does. Can we imagine the performance of professional athletes who are paid equally and given tenure? Unions kill innovation and, intentional or not, teachers not inspired by achievement aren’t likely to inspire our children. Teachers who can’t find schools to hire them they aren’t suited to teach anyway.

Anyone who has played sports or raised children know these truths intuitively. And while the Democratic Party might view union teachers as sacred cows, there’s nothing sacred about what they’re doing to our children. If the School Board and Mayor Villaraigosa really have our children’s interests in mind they will abdicate their incompetent control and let parents decide what’s best for their children.

Their refusal to change only confirms their intent.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 28th, 2005 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Author: Clark Baker, Education, Los Angeles. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.