Public Education Convulses in Racine, Parents Powerless.

If you don’t read any further than this paragraph, I want to ask you to watch the video below as the perfect example of just what is happening to education in our state, and country. It will prove to you the public has no actual input into education anymore. You’ll also see how open enrollment and vouchers are picking the meat of the bones of what’s left of the public education carcass. I hope you have time to read the rest…

Walker’s “tools” were a onetime fix that delayed the upcoming public education bloodletting for one year. Ideologically exuberant district superintendents couldn’t wait to do away with the work involved in teacher negotiations, all the while pushing their own agenda of privatization.

   

As much as your nearest Republicans neighbor might say otherwise, school districts aren’t in better shape after utilizing Scott Walker’s tools to rein in the cost of education. Walker’s rules are doing just what Republican legislators knew would happen. The end result?

Public schools are about to become too expensive. The maintenance of existing school district infrastructure will crush public schools. That’s why we’re seeing schools close all over the state. But the Walker plan unfortunately is gaining public support because of a nationwide campaign to sell “choice” as a parental empowerment. The ad campaign is working.

But if choice empowers parents, then why are these same parents so angry in the Racine school district? From the Caledonia Patch, and reporter Denise Lockwood, this heart sinking display of public passion;  

Racine Unified administrators got an earful of questions and concerns about a redistricting proposal that calls for closing Wind Point and Goodland elementary schools. At the meeting Ann Laing, acting superintendent of the Racine Unified School District, told about 100 staff, parents and students that she'd rather not have to close the schools. Still, she laid out the administration’s rationale behind the proposal, but the district’s financial problems have remained an issue. The reality is the district is facing a $6.5 million shortfall.  And although Laing said she didn’t want to close the schools, this option is much more palatable than laying off more teachers.

But even still, that might happen too, she warned. “It’s up to the Board to make a decision about what they want to do with this, but they need to make a decision because if they don’t make this decision soon, logistically we can’t make changes for the next school year,” Laing said.

Think about this too; why would private schools want to fill the void of public schools if state funding is getting slashed? That would mean fewer taxpayer dollars for them too, right? Perhaps private schools will get much of their funding through corporate sponsorship, like in a few other states, carrying out their “free market” corporate curriculum. Could corporate indoctrination of our kids be a part of the plan? I know, it sounds like a sequel to the first two Wall Street movies.