American Broadside

Education part 1

Becky and I went to the Garrison Keillor / DFL fundraiser for the Minnesota DFL House Caucus on July 1st. It began in a typical manner with a local country band, state politicians, and an auction. The auction demonstrated just how fiscally conservative liberal democrats can be; I do not think any of the objects auctioned brought in as much as their stated worth. Tax and spend my ass! A liberal holds on to his money so tight that he can make the buffalo on a nickel scream.

The speaker for the evening was Garrison Keillor and when he came on stage, the event went from ordinary to extraordinary. It began with a standing ovation for Garrison and while we were still standing, his asking us to sing the Star Spangled Banner. He reminded us that the song did not glorify war but celebrated survival. It was the best rendition of the song I have heard in years, maybe ever.

During a 90-minute monologue, Garrison gave the classic political chautauqua. He reminded us of our Democratic history and traditions, how our values are integral to America’s national democratic history and traditions, drew clear distinctions between our values and those of the neo-conservative Republicans, and emphasized what our goals are for the coming election and beyond.

Speaking in a soft voice and with trademark dry wit that brought as much laughter at ourselves as at the opposition, Garrison told story after story that illustrated what it means to be a liberal, democratic American. Garrison, in the tradition of Will Rogers the quintessential American storyteller and Native American, spun Great Plains Parables and lifted our spirits.

He told stories about his growing up and going to Anoka High School and then to the University of Minnesota, his dream to be a writer, and his experiences along the way. He reminded us of what we once had; a system of great land grant universities that provided the promise of an affordable, quality education to military veterans, and the almost all of America’s children. They were magnets that drew the young people of the world to our shores. They were a gift from our parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and strangers. The public universities were affordable because the public understood what it meant to invest in the future.

Our public schools are another example of this investing in the future. I graduated from Grandview High School, in Columbus, Ohio. Grandview was a small middle and working class town that the city of Columbus had surrounded. The schools in Grandview had dedicated teachers, clean and well-kept facilities, and well supplied classes. The curriculum was college preparatory, and there was a wealth of after school activities including a variety of art, chess, music, science, sports, theater, and more.

Grandview was not perfect. It reflected the racial bigotry of the times: there were no African Americans and only a few very quiet Jews. However, it educated us to be critical thinkers which in turn lead us to strive to be honest and hardworking. We were given the tools to work against bigotry. The education that Grandview gave my classmates and me was not free. It was the result of over 100 years of commitment to a social dream. Grandview High School was the embodiment of an American ideal: a quality education is the foundation to personal success and freedom. Education is the birthright of every American because, through it, you can strive for your happiness on an equal basis with everyone else.

My growing up in Ohio mirrored many of Garrison’s stories. I had forgotten my good fortune until he reminded me: a good fortune generously paid for by others, most of whom never knew me. However, they trusted that when it was my turn, I would do my best to continue the tradition.

By the end of the evening, when we left O’Shaughnessy Auditorium and went in to a perfect Minnesota summer night, I was more resolved than ever to work to undo the 25 years of abuse liberal values have experienced, beginning with the sorry state of education.

Our schools today are a continuation of that inheritance entrusted to us. They are not our personal property. Garrison asked how could we, who as children benefited from the inheritance of fine schools, now refuse to pass on that gift to our children and grandchildren?

Here, are one old liberal’s ideas about American education.

Every citizen, native or immigrant, is entitled to a quality education from birth to death. Schooling is not just for children and young adults. We live in a rapidly changing world where each of us can expect to have several different careers during our lifetime. This is not new. My father and mother both worked in various jobs during their lives. I am currently in school training for my fourth career, this one being a teacher.

Providing a quality education to our children means providing the same type of experience we had as kids. Well-maintained and supplied neighborhood schools, with small class sizes, staffed by well trained, highly motivated teachers. This opportunity needs to be universal, for all citizens regardless of disabilities, medical and emotional difficulties, financial and social problems.

A wealth of research shows that neighborhood schools, small class sizes, adequate supplies, and motivated staff all contribute are very successful in producing educated children that become productive and happy adults. So why are we going in exactly the opposite direction with huge, under funded, factory schools?

Think about the opponents to the public education system and the way they teach their children: home education and small, special-curriculum academies. Both rely on small class sizes, community involvement (similar to neighborhood involvement), and highly motivated teachers. The significant differences are that the educational opportunity is restricted and the curriculum is often extremely limited.

A quality education means a curriculum that includes not only the basic skills such as English (reading and writing), math, and science. Again, research and business surveys show that education in the arts, foreign languages, history, music, sports, and the world at large create well-rounded citizens. Just kind of the people we need in this global economy. Leading businesses in Minneapolis have stated that they liked the Twin Cities because of the well-rounded, educated work force that is able to think creatively and independently.

We do not live in a bubble. America is a major crossroads of the world.

For decades, we have neglected our schools and our children and it is going to take commitment equal to or greater than that of our parents and grandparents to correct the situation. We cannot put a band-aid on a gaping wound and tell ourselves that we have done the best we can. We have been doing that for years: lying to our children and ourselves.

What is it going to cost and how are we going to pay for it?

First, look at what it costs us to continue doing as we are now.

Almost all school systems are cutting staff, aggregating students in larger and larger factory schools, reducing the variety of class offerings, and cutting back on materials and books. A week ago, the Minneapolis school system cut 600 teaching positions. Several suburbs have followed suit. The state of Iowa, recently announced cutting 3,000 teaching positions statewide. This saves the community money in the short-run but costs federal, state, and local governments tax revenues and requires outlay for unemployment benefits and training.

Children who do not fit easily into the mainstream are loosing the specialized education they need to adjust to our society. Again in Minneapolis, the school board announced that it is cutting all the smaller special service or community schools and directing those students back into the mainstream. Often these kids did not do well in the factory schools, that is why they were in the smaller schools. This new move undermines their ability to succeed and increases the likelihood of their dropping out.

Students who drop out of school are much more likely to get into drugs, pregnancy, and crime. But isn’t that the responsibility of the kids and their parents? Why is that the responsibility of the entire community? Isn’t that why we have courts and prisons?

Who pays for those courts and prisons? Who pays for crime through higher insurance rates? Who pays for the medical care of poor teenage mothers (the majority of whom are white) and poor uninsured workers who’s only medical care is through public hospital emergency rooms? Who worries about crime and how unsafe our streets are supposedly becoming?

A variety of studies show that is 3-4 times more expensive to house a person in prison than to give them a quality education. This does not include all the other indirect costs such as insurance, emergency rooms, and your piece of mind. Remember the person with the education will get a better paying job, share the tax burden, and be less likely to use expensive social services such as prison.

Another thing to remember is that continuing to do as we are now insures that things will only get worse.

In the past 5 years, the number of working poor has almost doubled and the number of uninsured people has doubled. Many of the uninsured are children of the working poor. Lack of healthcare when a child leads to long-term illness as an adult thus, good education, tailored to the needs of the working poor and their children can lead to better paying jobs resulting in less demand on the more expensive social services such as healthcare.

What will a revitalized public school system cost?

Over the last 25 years, how much have school budgets been under-funded?

It is going to cost a lot. It is expensive to rebuild school systems neglected for years. For starters, perhaps as much as a small war in Iraq, perhaps more.

The question is not how much. The questions are what does it take and how can we do it effectively. I do not use the word efficient because it is the code word used to indicate cutting, without regard to long-term results.

Where does the money come from?

Where it always comes from, you and me, there is no magical solution to fund our schools. We need to raise our school related taxes. That is the most straightforward and unambiguous method to get the money. We do not need to hide it in user fees or by cutting services to people who are already living well below the poverty line. It is important that we see clearly the amount we are paying, both to help account for its use and as an object lesson to remind us how expensive rebuilding a neglected American Dream can be.

What do we get in return?

For starters, we give all of our kids a good education. We also start giving all of our displaced workers a better chance of finding good paying work. One immediate benefit we will see is an increase in the hiring and rehiring of teachers and the subsequent increase in tax revenues. These taxes will not completely offset the cost but they will reduce it a bit. Do not forget that people with jobs buy services and goods in the community and pay secondary taxes as well.

In the mid-term, in about 2-5 years, we will start to see better-educated citizens emerging from our schools. This leads more productive workers, more entrepreneurs, happier citizens, better policy decision making in government, and a more stable society. In the long-term, it only gets better. In about 10 years, we will see young adults who have grownup in the revitalized public schools. Each succeeding graduating class will increase the number of engaged citizens while reducing the number of the disenfranchised.

The ultimate goal: a nation of happy, hardworking, citizens, engaged in their society and government. A nation that, through the effort and commitment of its citizens guarantees that all citizens get a good education and, because of that education, have the reasonable opportunity to have productive well paying work, adequate healthcare, and a comfortable retirement.

Education is the cornerstone of democracy and personal well-being. The ignorance of one, undermines the well-being of us all.

posted by Les @ 11:17 AM