California Conservative

After posting yesterday’s voucher argument, a high school principal asked:

Please tell me how an extremist religious (read Islamic) school wouldn’t get the vouchers.

This question is often asked RHETORICALLY by the NEA and other opponents.

First of all, pubic schools haven’t always prevented such disasters themselves. As we recently saw from this unaccredited school, public schools haven’t done very well either. And this school still operates today!

But think of it this way: Do hepatitis outbreaks make an argument for local and state officials to cnvert all sushi restaurants into tax-supported government cafeterias? Absolutely not. Among the top reasons:

1. The local health department does an excellent job investigating complaints and enforcing laws that prevent outbreaks,
2. The public is immediately notified, and, if necessary, unhealthful restaurants are immediately closed, and
3. Consumers can decide for themselves whether to return or go elsewhere.

Unlike sushi restaurants, our pubic school monopolies investigate themselves and rarely fix problems or provide public notice of ongoing failures. Yes, rest scores and information can be found in obscure sites, but there is nothing like the giant blue letter-grades that appear in the front windows of local eateries in Los Angeles.

If a patron firebombed a sushi restaurant because he hates Buddhists, law enforcement would investigate and prosecute. But after this teacher’s classroom was torched after repeated racial threats and epithets, LAUSD blamed the teacher and, eventually, forced him out of LAUSD. These stories are not isolated, but widely corroborated by parents and teachers at risk of retaliation.

Another parent wrote yesterday:

Two years ago, my then 8th grade daughter was put into a science class with a science teacher (who barely speaks English). I had my daughter removed from her class after the teacher assaulted my daughter in front of me during open house. This teacher failed the whole class both semesters, and many children missed their graduation ceremony!

My daughter was put into the Science Magnet and was given a “F” because she was not up-to-speed with the rest of the class, but then received a C the next semester and graduated.

My 8th grade son was given the same teacher today, and I want to switch teachers but I’m… (afraid of retaliation). What should I do? Debbie G.

This problem does not exist at private schools.

When my wife and I visited our favorite Chinese restaurant last week, she spotted the big blue B-Grade in the window, turned around and we (she) decided to eat elsewhere. Working-class parents do not enjoy that kind of empowerment in public schools.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t advocate the end of all public education or the end of checks and balances. But competition has a positive impact wherever it exists, and public school monopolies like LAUSD are, more often than not, abusive, substandard, and incompetent criminal enterprises.

Today, only affluent parents enjoy educational choice. When public schools fail, we can place our children in secure private locations. Middle and low-income parents don’t have that choice. Taxpayers spend $18,400/year per child to attend LAUSD, but only a fraction of those funds end up in the classroom.

Vouchers allow affluent AND working-class parents can choose public, private, charter, or parochial schools as they wish and, when there is a problem, they can resolve it.

And IF Osama opens the “Death to America Charter Academy,” a review of test scores, curriculum, and spot checks could close it faster than you could say, “What’s that Katyusha rocket doing under Timothy’s desk?”

Clearly, vouchers offer accountability in ways that public school monopolies never will.

Most voucher questions are answered within the links here and here. If not, please write to me at VOUCHERS-AT-NYM-DOT-HUSH-DOT-COM.

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Clark Baker is a senior contributor to CaliforniaConservative.org. He is an author, filmaker, father and retired LAPD officer. You may read more of his work here and here.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 23rd, 2006 at 8:57 am and is filed under Author: Clark Baker, California, 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.