For Thursday, October 5, 2000                            Drummer Column, Gibbs, 732 words

 

 

 

Calzone

 

 

     What is my position on Proposition 38, the silly school voucher initiative? Well, I'm a public school teacher so I'm obviously biased. I'm against it. It hurts schools, and it's not good for the wool.

     O.K., past that, what do I really think? I'm altruistically, ethically, and morally  opposed to it.  Though, I like to remain objective.

     Let me cull together some cons and pros and restrain any sarcasm, if I can.

     First, the basics -- this voucher would give California parents a $4,000 check out of the public school's funding to offset the cost of moving their children into private schools. These private schools must meet only basic requirements -- no racial or ethnic discrimination, no hiring of convicted felons, and they must take statewide tests and publish results.

     They are private. Nothing is stopping them from rejecting student applicants because of low test scores, weak English language skills, poor discipline, social dysfunctions, learning disabilities or physical handicaps. Special students have expensive, labor-intensive needs. Why would private schools take on these extra responsibilities? It would be non-profitable, or too costly for the parent to pay the difference.

     Private schools can work it to accept only the best students, score high on the state tests, and smell like roses. They can also incorporate advertising, political postures, and religious doctrine into the academic curriculum. I'm not knocking religious training, but there is a separation of church and state.

     With all this loose money, for-profit schools will spring up overnight on flimsy foundations. Some kids could end up attending Fly-By-Night High.

     "O.K. children, this semester we are going to prepare for a big, big test. It will come in six months. We want to be ready for it, so let's begin our drills. Repeat after me…"

     Wealthy parents who can already afford private schools will receive $4,000 per child from the public school coffers. That is officially uncool. Bad call. I'm not knocking wealthy people. Some of my best boat rides come from wealthy people. But we don't strip a strapped state school striving to survive so a smart, sophisticated, blessed-at-birth future leader of men can be cloistered away from the hoi polloi behind ivy walls in ivory towers. That's like giving dimes to Rockefeller.

     Proponents, including the initiative's designer, venture capitalist Tim Draper, claim the voucher program will scare poorly-performing public schools into trying harder. They believe the threat of losing money is the best motivator of public school reform.

   

     Whoa, Nellie.

     Public schools have problems. Ta da! Neither throwing money at them or throwing money away is going to fix those problems.

     If I were king, here is what I'd do. I'd first divide the schools into two groups -- schools doing well and schools doing poorly. To the schools doing well, I'd say, "Nice work, folks. Whatever you're doing, keep it up." I would not make them change anything. However, I would borrow from them.

     I would borrow talent -- master teachers and insightful administrators, alumnae/i  businesspeople, technicians, clerical experts. I would recruit from the retired. With my hand-picked talent-trust troops of a 1000 or two, whom I would call the Calzone,  I would fold my attentions onto the poor schools. In groups of five, members of the Calzone would "blend in" with problem schools. They would stay for weeks, visit classrooms, talk to everybody, learn from the inside what is needed to empower the teachers.

     Here's how my plan is different:  My team would be there, not to grade them, but to help them, in full and friendly partnership. The Calzones would also have pockets full of $4,000 checks. They would have the authority to say, "Build this school a new library," or "Send the staff to assertiveness training," or "Repair the cafeteria."  And it would get done.

     If you've ever owned a pet or smiled at one, please, vote No on 38.