Your Right to Choose - The School Choice Movement Has Begun
When I was in high school, my principal instituted “arena registration.” This process allowed students (the consumer) to build their own schedules by picking the courses, and the teachers that would challenge them. This frustrated a handful of underperforming teachers and they began objecting to the process, saying it was unfair that they weren’t being selected; and the teacher’s union responded. In an effort to cater to these teacher’s feelings, the union pressured the district to get rid of student choice and arena registration. The philosophy of rewarding mediocrity crippled competition in our school, and it only got worse. When there is competition, there is a drive to excel among teachers and students. In the absence of competition however, there is apathy and no desire to do better. For instance, schools that never have to worry about losing students, do very little to retain families, because there is only one product. Families are forced to take what they get. |
However, as a result of the pandemic, parents are beginning to demand more options for school choice and accountability in curriculum. If their boundary school is not performing up to par, they are seeking out a better product. They have also begun looking for schools that are void of gender and racial politics being pushed in the classroom. It is happening in California, where parents are frustrated that others are making determinations about mandates and the push for CRT education. As a result, there has been a 3% decrease in public school enrollment in that state. This statistic should make the Department of Education and teacher’s unions nervous.
Arizona Governor, Doug Ducey, has just signed a bill to create a universal school choice option for all parents in the state. Parents would have the right to choose what educational program they would like their children to enter, whether it be public, private, or homeschooling. This action was not surprisingly met with loud cries from the left that it would only further widen the gap of inequality in society. However, this type of legislation will push districts to push pause on new social justice education, among other things, and start listening to parents. We can only hope more governors follow suit. |
Parents are tired of subpar schools that are more focused on making sure students aren’t “triggered” or the latest issues with gender identity than on the basics. According to Epoch Times, illiteracy rates among young adults in the United States are now double what they were in 1919, when students learned in a one room schoolhouse and finished with an 8th grade education. That is not competitiveness, it is complacency and parents need to speak out. There should be an outcry about how far education has fallen. It seems to me that we have bigger fish to fry than feelings.
The strength of school choice isn’t just about a parent’s ability to remove their child from a neighborhood school. Instead, it puts the power of decision back in the hands of parents as it pertains to what is happening in school. This returns educational influence to the families that the school system serves. It allows for families to demand schools to cater to the needs of the student, not the state, Department of Education, or the teacher’s unions.
The strength of school choice isn’t just about a parent’s ability to remove their child from a neighborhood school. Instead, it puts the power of decision back in the hands of parents as it pertains to what is happening in school. This returns educational influence to the families that the school system serves. It allows for families to demand schools to cater to the needs of the student, not the state, Department of Education, or the teacher’s unions.
Parents have the power to influence the legislature to stop their push for money being tied to liberal education and policies like teaching CRT. They should contact their local representatives and express their ideas about vouchers for school choice. They have the power to attend school board meetings and demand that the small town, rural school not be pressured to look like large districts in the city. The eastern plains schools need to evaluate what they need to do to continue teaching small town values, sticking to the basics of reading, writing and math, as well as focusing on family values and morality that exist in rural areas of the state. Parents need to evaluate what they want to see in their local schools. Whether it is having a meeting with the principal, attending a school board meeting, calling your local governmental official, or if all that fails, discussing homeschooling for your students - the time to act is now. Your right as a parent is the most important voice in the room.
Getting involved locally:
There are many different ways that citizens can get involved in the educational process. Schools are asking for participation in many different ways. The schools along the corridor have made school board meetings readily available for the public to watch and participate in. Together, we can contribute time and attention to our young people. Below is a list of opportunities:
-Attend a board meeting (virtual): Bennett, Strasburg, Byers, Deer Trail
-Run for school board positions
-Write your local superintendent
-Attend a board meeting (virtual): Bennett, Strasburg, Byers, Deer Trail
-Run for school board positions
-Write your local superintendent
- Bennett * Mrs. Robin Purdy
- Strasburg * Mr. Dan Hoff
- Byers * Mr. Tom Turrell
- Deer Trail * Mr. BJ Buchmann