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PERSPECTIVE
- October 2005 by Pat Freibert Does Funding Equal Success? The School Tax Man cometh again. Only this time, Kentuckians must demand that they get what they are already paying for. The Business Forum on Kentucky Education, with endorsements from the Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of Kentucky, has released recommendations for improving the commonwealth’s schools. Some of the major recommendations come with major costs attached. Does this refrain sound familiar? Has everyone forgotten the $1.32 billion tax increase in 1990 to do this very same thing? The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 promised major advances in education. While some progress has been made, the promise of landmark improvements has simply not been realized. KERA has fallen far short. Money has flowed into the education establishment and satisfactory improvement has not been forthcoming. An obvious conclusion might be that money didn’t fix the problem. Some of the highest performing schools (frequently the private schools) have significantly lower costs per pupil than the average for the state. KERA failed to adequately reform teacher training and has been less than effective in requiring a demonstration of proficiency from teachers as well as students. First of all, less than half the $1.3 billion in new taxes was dedicated to school reform. The rest went to bartering and deal-making to get votes for the legislation. These brick-and-mortar projects bloated the state debt and included golf courses, parking garages, armories, swimming pools and many other pork barrel non-educational projects. Another lesson learned is that political leadership must insist on tradeoffs. There must be an unwillingness to accept reduced performance standards and entrenched special interest groups within the education establishment. These groups want to dictate the agenda for personal benefit. If that continues to be allowed, then all the tax increases in the world will not improve the unacceptable educational outcomes. Before embarking upon another exorbitantly expensive tax burden to “solve” this behemoth of a problem, it is critical to acknowledge that there is an absence of clear, compelling and widely agreed upon goals for improving education. First, we desperately need a consensus on what constitutes an educated person. Merely completing 12th grade does not necessarily constitute an education. In all too many instances, it simply reflects 12 years of attendance. Out of the present ferment in educational philosophy is coming a counter-revolution against the educational philosophy of the last half century. The reasons are apparent: Too many children who spend 10-12 years in elementary and secondary schools have low proficiency in reading, writing and everyday math. This is one of the reasons that industry and medical fields are increasingly tapping the non-U.S. educated skill base for complex needs. The one thing we must never do is allow our children to become pawns of the education establishment. Schools and government must not and cannot substitute for healthy, intact families. Intellectual honesty compels us to admit that the family breakdown is a salient factor in the failure of the schools. If we ever learn to fix that problem, fixing our schools will be easy. Rapid scientific and technological changes require a lifetime of learning, and early educational tools are simply necessary to survive and compete. Yes, education costs money, and even more may be needed. But we’ve got to demand that we get what we are already paying for. Pat Freibert is a former Kentucky state representative from Lexington. |
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