Fox Business reporter and libertarian columnist John Stossel
identified the biggest frustration to outreach, reform, and innovation in our public
schools. Facetiously termed “The Blob”, the collective inertia of the teachers
unions, clerical and classified staff associations (janitors, secretaries, and
administrators), plus the bureaucratic lethargy of school boards and district administration
frustrate educational reform in every way, shape, and form. Thus, a formless
mass of standardized testing, low-expectations, and negligible oversight remain
the norm in public education.
Despite the negative press for one association of charter
schools (Indian Charter Schools in Oakland, CA), school choice and educational
reform are winning major gains across the country. The Indiana state supreme
court just upheld the statewide voucher program enacted by former Governor
Mitch Daniels. Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam wants to expand school choice
into statewide school districts. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is pushing
the “Opportunity Scholarship Act” to create a voucher program. Nevada Governor
Brian Sandoval wants to offer tax credits to businesses which subsidize private
education for youth forced to attend struggling schools.
Nevertheless, the greatest record of public education reform
belongs to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Public education unions can no
longer withdraw dues directly from employees’ pay checks. They can only
negotiate salaries, and they must offer employees the choice of leaving their
union every year. Coupled with his voucher expansion proposals, Walker’s public
sector collective bargaining reforms have forced “The Blob” to form in line
with the interests of students and parents, not nebulous, dubious special interests.
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