Private Profit, Public Risk/Kasich Kills Education--again

Paul Krugman on Prisons, Privatization, and Patronage

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Recently, Gov. Kasich signed a “sweeping education bill that seeks to strengthen the ties between the state’s employers and public schools . . .” You may have missed it because the blurb was tucked into a side item on p. 6 of The Canton Repository, our local paper.

As an educator of fifteen years, I can surely understand the impulse for schools to embrace any opportunity that will bring needed funding into the system, but this is not the way to go about it.

First, why weren’t all the stakeholders involved? Educators who spend all day educating our children weren’t invited. If you were truly serious about educational reform, why wouldn’t you invite the experts into the discussion? Because, as most of us suspect, it’s not really about reform; it’s about continuing the slide toward privatization. It’s about directing public dollars to private pockets, as this Governor has sought to do repeatedly (Liquor Control, a handful of Prisons, the Turnpike, JobsOhio, TeamNeo, drilling in state parks, etc.)

Now, some of you may like this concept. Our students continue to slip in world rankings and something has to be done, right? One of the provisions in the new bill requires that teachers from lower-performing schools must be re-tested. I’m not sure what this punitive measure will accomplish. What it will do is dissuade talented teachers from wanting to teach in challenging areas—why risk it? There is no correlation between this compulsory re-testing and an improvement in the teaching that goes on. Just like the standardized tests we use now in Ohio do nothing to educate students, but it does direct tax dollars to testing companies that donate to campaigns and serves as the “evidence” of those who seek to break up public education. 

Everyone wants a quick fix, but it’s often apples to oranges when we compare schools. Some private or public schools in affluent areas ask their teachers to teach as few as 50 students. I did my pre-student teaching in a public school though where the English teacher taught 210 students every day. Imagine what awaited her when she assigned a research paper.

And please don’t tell us that these teachers don’t have to stay in education if they don’t like these requirements. What kind of solution is that? If folks quit every time something was going on they didn’t like, we would still be living in a feudal system. Come to think of it, proponents of these policies seem to long for a return to such days. 

The gas and oil companies are gaining traction in the area (Stark State College and Marlington High School—which allows fracking beneath school grounds—will be offering courses pointed toward this new industry); what incentive would these companies have for phys ed? Art? History? What’s their incentive to teach anything beyond what will directly benefit their business? Will they study the robber barons of the last century? Will they read Rachel Carson? What is their incentive to offer a content-rich, broad-based education? Generosity? As much as I enjoy art and music and believe in their value, I don’t want them to be the only decision-makers when it comes to public education, so this is no anti-business diatribe.

Critical literacy, a healthy and informed skepticism, an ability for problem-solving—these are the characteristics of a good, contemporary education; how will this be met by the new business-infused education? It’s like going to a store and shopping in only one aisle—you have no idea what else is in the store. 

Admittedly, our current education system is inherently inefficient—why? It’s labor-intensive and we take everybody. By law, Ohio schools must educate all Children. Some European countries (Slovakia, e.g.) skim off 30% or so of students who are either deemed too high-needs or incorrigible. What might our society start to look like if businesses who have little interest in sunk-costs or spending money on things that won’t lead to profit (that is, after all, what they do—make money) call all the shots for our public schools?

Should businesses be involved in public education? By all means, yes. But business needs to be just one of many stakeholders. Educators, parents, post-secondary institutions, the children themselves, and others need to be in the room when these decisions get made. Even if it’s just for buy-in, you have to include the people who will be impacted by these decisions. It’s Leadership 101. Yet the Governor, as he always has done, rammed his agenda through. At the end of his term and the years beyond, we won’t recognize our state, although it may bear a striking resemblance to Mississippi (or Louisiana, or Florida . . . ).

Opportunities are already here—students can track into vocational training beginning their junior year. How much more do you want business leaders dictating your children’s learning? 8^th grade? How about 3^rd grade? What if that industry moves? Becomes obsolete? Is it really a good idea to lock teenagers’ into their choices at this young age? A broad-based education allows students to reasonably choose their life’s direction at the post-secondary level, an age when we allow them to vote and enter into a contract. 

Letting businesses dictate what is taught in our public schools and how it is taught is a recipe for disaster and seems destined to steer us away from an education that has the purpose and potential for the common good. It threatens our very democracy.

And with the voter suppression efforts, a multitude of wide-ranging legislation to limit women’s health decisions here and elsewhere, a desire to quash Obamacare, and concerted efforts to stifle unions—is it any wonder our Governor is adding another sad chapter to the contemporary Republican playbook? Let’s call it “How to Destroy the Middle Class and They Won’t Even Whimper.”