No Compromise on Educational Savings Accounts

In a recent blog post, Clark County Education Association Executive Director John Vellardita wrote that Two Agendas Can’t Coexist, where he outlines the necessity of compromise regarding the Educational School Account (ESA). Mr. Vellardita’s sees vouchers as inevitable, he writes “over the last few decades, the private sector has made a market presence in education. Its growth in the education market continues to see a rise in charter schools and vouchers (33 states have some form of a voucher). With the ascendency of the Trump administration, this trend will continue.” Mr. Vellardita suggests that since the voucher movement is growing in momentum, the CCEA might as well accept the unavoidable, and support the voucher program, he notes that “Choice’ will be at the heart of any resolution.” I reject this approach. This is the moment when we should have the political courage to take a stand on the issues we believe in, and stopping the corporate takeover of our public schools is the issue we need to rally behind, regardless of national trends and local politics.    

As a proud association member, I applaud most of CCEA’s legislative efforts. I believe that the Clark County School District should be compelled to pay teacher salary advancements regardless of negotiations. Student test scores should not be used in evaluating teachers, the Peer Assistance and Review (PAR) teachers provide valuable support to our new and struggling teachers. And a weighted funding formula is good policy and should be implemented throughout the state. However, the CCEA should never compromise on the core principle of adequately funding our public schools. Under no circumstances should we allow citizens to take money out of a school system that is at the bottom of national rankings and apply it to private for-profit schools. As a result of the 2016 election, and the recent conformation of Betsy DeVos  for Secretary of Education, public education is under attack, and we must fight with everything we have to prevent our public education system from being preyed upon by Wall Street investors. Retreat is not an option and the CCEA is wrong on the ESA issue. This is an association of teachers, and policy must reflect the will of its members, not just the few seated around the executive board’s table. Because the CCEA did not ask its members how they felt on the issue of ESAs, it is up to us to let the CCEA officers and executive board know where we stand. Contact your representative today, they work for us, and remember, we must stand for something, or we stand for nothing.

Why I Oppose DeVos and the Privatization of our Public Schools

One of President Trump’s most controversial cabinet appointments has been Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. Despite her experience as a businesswoman, philanthropist, activist and noted political campaign contributor, Secretary DeVos has no experience in public education. She did not attend a public school, her children did not attend public school, she has never worked in a public school, and as her disastrous Senate confirmation revealed, was seriously lacking in even the most basic understanding of public education policy. As a professional educator, I felt bewildered, let down, and angry that the President would appoint such an unqualified person to lead the Department of Education. But, as we all know too well, elections have consequences, and certainly those who are committed to the mission of public schools to educate all students regardless of their zip code, feel that Trump and his Secretary will try to undermined our schools with disastrous voucher programs, designed to steer money away from public schools into the pockets of private, for profit, investors. As a candidate, Trump stated “There’s no failed policy more in need of urgent change than our government-run education monopoly." Much to the chagrin of many, President Trump has been resolute in keeping his campaign promises, and he warned us that “As president, I will establish the national goal of providing school choice to every American child living in poverty. If we can put a man on the moon, dig out the Panama Canal and win two world wars, then I have no doubt that we as a nation can provide school choice to every disadvantaged child in America.” Except that we already have choice in public education. Open enrollments, magnet, career & technical academies, public charter schools, and virtual schools are all examples of choice. However, Trump and DeVos don’t want just choice, they want to destroy our public schools for ideological and political reasons. Many on the right believe that public schools, colleges and universities are bastions of liberal thought that “indoctrinate” their students to hate America. They have taken God and school prayer out of the classroom, shown tolerance to LGBT people, and practice multiculturalism and inclusion. In the political realm, public schools employ teachers who belong to teacher unions, who overwhelming use their due to support Democrat candidates for office. Dismantle the public schools, destroy the unions, and no more political support for Democrat candidates.

My home state of Nevada is a microcosm of the debates swirling around education policy. In the 2015 Legislative session, Republican Governor Brian Sandoval, with bipartisan support, passed the largest education package in state history. In fulling his vision of a “New Nevada,” Governor Sandoval understands how important properly funding and supporting education is to include expansion of full day kindergarten, Zoom schools for English learners, Victory Schools for chronically under-performing schools. In addition, AB 394 has given schools and their leadership teams, enhanced autonomy and budgetary discretion. The education reforms are not without controversy as the legislature passed the most lenient voucher program in the nation known as the Education Savings Account (ESA). Essentially parents will be able to apply and receive a percentage of their education investment placed in an account, approximately $5,200 that they can then use for educational expenses such as private school tuition, tuition at eligible institutions, distance education, curriculum, tutoring, fees, transportation, specialized services or therapies for students with a disability. The argument for this program is that parents should be able to choose where their student attends school, whether it be a public school or private school. They argue that students would vote with their feet forcing underperforming school to improve, or face closure, free market capitalism at its purest. Arguments against the program is that parents will drain already chronically underfunded public schools of valuable resources. The 2016 Quality Counts report, for example, puts Clark County per pupil funding at $7,745, while the national average is about $10,763. States like New York and Massachusetts, two of the highest performing states, each having numerous districts that spend close to $20,000 per student. Of course the price tag for attending private school can be prohibitively high even with the ESA, for example the Meadows School, for the 2015-16 school year, charges high school students $25,775, while faith Lutheran charges $11,500, not counting books, uniforms, and additional fees. It is not surprising then that of the 8,000 ESA applicants, most come from the wealthiest parts of the Las Vegas valley. It should also be noted that a neighborhood school serves a social function, particularly in communities of color, they are anchor points as one generation after another pass through their corridors, passing on history and tradition. Because of this, most students, even in under-performing schools, choose not to be bused out of their neighborhoods to new unfamiliar neighborhoods. Luckily, the Nevada Supreme Court has temporarily put a halt to ESAs on the grounds that legislators would have to find alternative funding outside of school budgets.  

It is my opinion that Secretary DeVos’s plan to privatize American schools is shortsighted. Our public schools are our best hope to ensure that all students, regardless of zip code, have an opportunity to achieve the American dream. In addition, our schools are our best defense against the tyranny of ignorance, and threat of demagoguery. As Thomas Jefferson pointed out  "I know no safe depositary of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves; and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education. This is the true corrective of abuses of constitutional power."