BURTON RIDGEWAY,
(The Reincarnation of Alexander Hamilton )

ON PUBLIC EDUCATION

(www.BurtonRidgeway.com)

“Yardsticks seldom are discarded while yielding favorable readings,” But when readings are unfavorable, “a more flexible measuring system often suggests itself: just shoot the arrow of (a) performance into a blank canvass then carefully draw the bull’s-eye around the implanted arrow.”
Warren Buffet

The competition between top management, and the front-line professionals will not permit revision of the status quo: what the teachers don’t want, they will not tolerate. Ever!

Reform will never happen in a public school system where a chief administrator with the quality of children’s education on his/her mind, will always be at odds with teachers and principles, who have themselves as primary benefactors.

A board of education formed by a money-driven election system, therefore completely financed by special interests, including teachers unions, cannot represent the children’s interest.

Children “of color” as a group, anywhere, in any sized cut-out, will always be at a disadvantage in a white, and politically-dominated, education system; a system which dictates the same treatment for all students. Slow-learning children, and those being nurtured in cultures different than the majority, cannot grow, they need insightful “specialists“, in control of their own schools.
The poor *can* have at their disposal equal opportunity for top-notch education to the rich; *equal*, in this case means, each acquires what they realistically seek.

We need to defeat the idea that all kids, of all races, and cultures, can, and must, be treated the same; people are not the same: every culture thinks in their own language. Children of minority cultures and races, should … must, be raised by those of their own culture; parents should . . . Must, be provided the freedom to send their kids to where they themselves want them, which may very well be to a school run by members of the majority.

Much more of education budgets than 40-60% would be spent inside class rooms, and much less for maintenance, within the following system:

Schools should be sold to the teachers - each school to it's own staff on a fifty?- year non-interest-bearing note. The state's education department would set parameters of a minimum agenda for a school to receive tax-support for teaching the three R's, financial and economic literacy, and development of the ability to read for long periods - in a word, to concentrate - and, what the pedestrian button on the traffic-light pole does *not* do. In other words, to think; how, not what! Annual payments would be made directly to the schools rather than any local boards.

Teacher-strikes, without the interest of their students in mind, would be history. No more school districts; no more local boards of education. No longer would we waste money on politics, and redundant levels of authority.

The money from these sales would go very far to advance the welfare of the state politicians, or the people, depending on how many hostile taxpayers are watching.

National requirements should be mandated by the federal government to the states, and the state Superintendent of Education, to licensed schools, and instructors.
All applicants for positions in schools- to own or teach - should already be licensed. There should also be state mandated responsibility for the safety of their charges, immunization, and required forwarding of all relevant files to student’s new schools, and to a national clearing house, for a pedophile-search. When an employee at any level, leaves to work in another school, the record of that employee must be forwarded to the new school, even if in another state. Laws must be made to protect schools from lawsuits for having done so.

The national department of education should maintain a file with each and every person working or having worked in a school, public, private or religious; anyone *convicted* of pedophilia should be in that file. A private-line web site should be available for school administrations to check each applicant for previous positions, and any criminal record. Let’s not continue to be stupid, so in fear of a central computer taking over our lives that we expose our kids to physical and mental destruction in the name of freedom.
I do not here promote federal police action; the use of this file, though it be mandatory to file each and every hire, it should be voluntary for schools to use it, and states to mandate its use. To not do so, should definitely expose administrators to civil lawsuits. ( Not the taxpayers!; the administrators! )

Private schools should be primarily owned by the teaching and management staff, to prevent inappropriately rapid growth, and damaging down-sizing; open (publicly held ) corporations should not be permitted.
If this turns out to be unworkable, controls should be designed to prevent schools from collapsing from investment manipulation.

After which each school, with permission from all their student’s parents, could put the Ten Commandments on the property, and pray to God without fearing enforcement of the constitutional interpretation that is not exactly accurate.

The state should require insurance coverage, to be obtained and paid for by the owner- corporation of each school to reimburse the state and parents for failure to complete a school year, for any reason - insurers being required to immediately report late payment, and lapsed coverage.

The national government should mandate general policy, in the national interest, to the states, set by a federal education division of a larger department, and not involve themselves in the nitty-gritty of educating our children, or the financing thereof.

The staff of the federal Division of Education should be no more than one hundred people - total. They would deal with the states in the sharing of ideas, and facilitate, through state leadership, any mandates from Congress. The federal office of Secretary of Education should be abolished, and the department returned to Health and Welfare. There’s no need for an extensive national education policy, other than what to promote as essential knowledge, professions, or trades American kids should be preparing for, considering that we are now in a world-wide competition for talent. Then let the states facilitate it by leaving it to the professionals with a lot to win or lose by their decisions; Teacher’s unions will be a problem for school owners, not the state government. With so few teachers not being an owner, the unions would have very small budgets, and very little power.

Both federal and state rating of each school would keep parents ( who pay attention ) from placing, or keeping, their children in schools that do not pass their - the parent’s - muster. Class size, and school population could be watched for safety and effectiveness. This would not be politics, but administration of our common interest.

For the present, until a state sells its schools, parents should be given a federal tax credit - not deduction - for the full current portion of their taxes going to public education, for each child they enter into a state -approved private school. This would establish exactly what percentage of the population does, in fact, prefer private education. Self-serving guessing by politicians and political warriors is not necessary. If this results in an extreme minority going to public schools, the decision would be obvious: eliminate public schools. I doubt that result.

Until a revision in the tax system returns primary taxation to the states, ( see my brief on taxation ) the federal government should merely remit education money to the states, and step back.
The states - under any tax system - should replace testing of students by their own school staffs with outside private testing firms to eliminate possible cheating by principles and teachers, for whatever reason. Testing firms could also be required to design appropriate tests for different cultures.
Such firms for various state-licensed professions currently exist.

There should no longer be a need for teacher's associations because staff-members would be owners. With the probable need for about two million new teachers by 2020, we had better turn the problem over to the only system that can attract competent people: private enterprise. Taxes - and income from the purchases of schools, and property - would support the mandated portions of agendas; the balance of each school's agenda would be theirs to decide, as would their overhead, profit margin, fringe benefits, and fee structure.
However, some teachers will choose to not be a stockholder. I don’t doubt that teachers who opt out of owning, will organize and the owners of that school will learn what it’s like to be an employer having to deal with a labor union - from the other side.

Parents would be free to choose a school, based on staff, programs, track record, and fees. Parents who want their children to learn religion, or morality, and respect for authority, would have their wishes satisfied, just as atheists would. Smaller classes would result, and be of the highest benefit. There would no longer be concern about schools forbidding students from using religious texts as a basis for their homework assignment; principles would follow the wishes of the parents.

”. . . public schools have a duty to teach moral rectitude. . . .” Colorado State Board of Education.
Hogwash! They have only the duty to teach children what they need to know to succeed in civil life. Moral rectitude should be taught within the privacy of the family, or their personally chosen representatives, not by public, politically motivated, and protected, administrators.

New schools would be established by teachers and principals with ideas and ambition to make them real, and to profit from it; large classes, in large buildings on massive property, would no longer be a given; small neighborhood classes would probably spring up in the homes of teachers who would be able to maintain quality education at a very low cost. Such teachers would have to agree to visits, without warning, by state-authorized inspectors, who would be limited to the student area, and the teacher’s behavior, and popular reputation. The teacher's residence must be off limits. The property would, of course, require *state* regulation, and local enforcement, to protect the children.
I also suspect that small schools would be much less exposed to the problem of student-suspensions for bad behavior. Rented retail stores could also serve as school locations .

Along with the federal credit, each state could choose to add credits or deductibility.

If my idea to eliminate federal tax on individuals is adopted, states would be under federal mandation to minimum requirements, and the state would cover the entire cost.

The purchase payments by teacher's corporations for school property would relieve us of the education portion of property taxes, (see my brief on taxes ) making room for tuition. The voucher system would not be necessary, except for children on welfare. All schools, as private businesses, would then be taxpayers.

Schools should not be governed by school *districts*. Too many people move among cities relative to their jobs. County-wide controls make more sense than city politics, but the state is, to me, the most logical over- all controller, therefore, they should be "Boss." A large reduction of management-level payroll across every state system that goes private would result.
Additionally, wealthy higher institutions of learning could buy into, or establish, local schools at all levels, to promote quality education according to their philosophies, and provide future opportunities to students, plus smooth transition into the “mother University.” But not before the fifth(?) year of this system, I should think!

( By-the- bye, I wonder why so many people fail to consider that college is not for everyone. How does a student who cannot read be qualified to pursue any subject in a college?

We need originality to produce an effective education system; building on the ruins of the present one will not do. Let's remember a truism: when government requires minimum competency figures, competent civil servants will seek to reach only those figures; competent operators of their own firms go for the max. Vouchers would not solve this problem, because they offer a limited amount of money, far short of the amount needed for middle and low income parents to afford. And teacher’s associations will block any effective corrections, as they currently demonstrate by their opposition to any ideas not entirely in their favor.

As for language, private schools specifically formed, to teach from given languages to English, would sprout up, to prepare them for schools which do not accept the non-English speaking student, not to mention small schools started in neighborhoods for their own children, with qualified teachers, in their own language, while converting them to English-speakers.

One of my fans wrote that I must have in mind local social service clubs, and large corporations, adopting a school, funding programs in addition to the basics, and working to make their neighborhood schools the best possible. I certainly had that in mind, as well as wealthy graduates from poor neighborhoods returning some of the fruits of their success. It’s being done now! There’s a lot that could be added, and very passionately promoted. This is an excellent basic idea to develop. I had this in mind relative to financing bussing for poor kids; some wealthy people would find it appealing to sponsor one or two busses within a particular zone.

As concerns vouchers for religious education, I think any system that merely issues vouchers, to be given to any qualified school, from there to be nothing more or less than a check moving through the banking system would in no way, “advance the cause of religion,” or “entangle the state with the church.”
I prefer my idea to any version of a voucher system, and the idea of the people recovering the money now tied up in school property for distribution to other of our community needs thrills me to the core.

Another fan sent me email from a well known fighter in the wars against statism who had read this page, at his behest, and replied to him that my idea, though nifty, would put the teachers on so aggressive an attack as to destroy all that exists on earth; the best way to go, he wrote, is to offer a more pleasing compromise so they, the teachers, could hold on to their self respect.
This fighter believes, and I don’t doubt his insight, that should teachers own their schools, they would use legislation to fight for limits on the competition.
If they were private enterprise, there would be a solid basis for government, and the courts, to prohibit such attempts on their part, which of course would not stop them from trying - just as business now does at every opportunity - in legislation and attempts at monopoly pricing, and product controls.
(FECMA would stop that! )

One of the absolutes in solution politics - public, business, and social - is that everyone with a program will argue against any other, if for no other reason than that they are on a roll with their own, and are committed to it, as are the people who support them, who must be supported in return. They are victims of “mind-lock,” or the necessity to wash each other‘s back. Or both. In other words, this is, as in all of politics, “Gang-war”!
I can be convinced to modify or drop any of my positions, but not in the face of the degree and character of resistance; if I believe my solution to be the best, then I want it; gang-members don’t have the “inner glue” to do that.

If you think my idea to make the teaching and administration staff owners, not employees, with their own money at stake, is a good idea, promote it. Copy this page and send it to the media and your state legislators. Make your thoughts known, otherwise, your thoughts aint woit nuttin’.

You could also demand that your state call the teacher’s bluff and take a look at the state constitution for its wording, and how it can be used to give teachers the means to teach as they wish, with minimum government “coercion,” as owners of their own businesses. Professional and competent teachers, both those who prefer programmed instruction, and those who dream of some day being freely creative with their own experience and knowledge, alert to each child’s learning style, will jump at the opportunity. I guarantee it ! (well . . . .)

SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE

As long as schools are a division of government, curriculum must not include religion, or anti-religion. Public education should involve itself only with preparation for adult life. It deals with families of all beliefs; it must be limited by the idea that government employees, out of respect, must not address religion, at all. The mere discussion of it, in general, pro or con, should not be permitted. History, yes, but the class must also include what co-existed during the same period. It is therefore best to not address religion at all.

There is one mitigation: respect for every religion, nationality, and culture, as well as non-religion should be mandated, except for church-owned schools.

Public school buildings could, and should, be made available to not-for-profit, social “associations,” during off hours, not competitive with other student’s attention, in return for expenses; and not be made available to for-profit “associations,” which would unfairly compete with local commerce. It would be beneficial for us to have all public school buildings serve as after-hours community centers. There’s no legitimate reason for them not to be.
People who want to meet for religious purposes, should not be prohibited from using available school facilities after hours, as long as no school authority-figure is present. There’s no need to complicate the issue with nonsense.

DANGER

Every school, in a private system, or the present one, should have a highly trained - non-public employee - psychologist on the job throughout the school day to constantly observe the students as they move around, and congregate. I don’t suggest a “KGB agent,” but the job is too big for a teacher or the Principle. Sticks of dynamite looking for a match need to be spotted, ASAP.

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DRUG TESTING

I am receptive to the idea of eliminating compulsory random testing of students. Zero-tolerance laws do nothing, in my opinion, than convince ourselves and others that we are trying to do something about drug abuse.
Rather than go into it in depth here, pull up, “www. Beyond zero tolerance. Org.”
Of course, you should also pull up my brief on the drug war.

I would like visitors to this site who have made any of the above ideas known to your CongressMember, local and state legislators, and people you know who would be interested, to let me know which ideas, and who you had informed. Please!

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COMMENTARY

PRAYER AND FLAG

It's tough to be free; to live in a society that provides for the freedom to express ourselves without fear of retribution by neighbor or government. It is so tough that very few of us find it easy to extend that freedom to others. When we do, it's only after fighting for our chauvinistic convictions until our nerves are shot, and then reluctantly surrender.
I too have a problem with people who live their lives according to their own preferences. I have convictions on how people should behave in just about every circumstance, and have to do battle with my dictatorial tendencies every time I read the paper, listen to the news, watch it on the tube, or see behavior in public. I wish very much to afford personal liberties to my fellow humans, but it's difficult: Everyone is so wrong!
There was a news article about a 16 year old student who refused to pay homage to our flag. He is probably trying to be a grown-up with political convictions he hasn't thought through, or she had only thought of it just the hour before. Now that it was made a big deal by the establishment, he sticks to his guns. Maybe not!
Regardless, she has the right to not speak what he doesn't wish to, outside regular educational requirements. The pledge of allegiance in schools is intended to condition children to think as members of a nation. When a youngster, regardless of age, refuses to do so, leave her be. Friends (Maybe his parents) will take her to task without our help, government employees and dictatorial, self-righteous, conservatives must stay out of it.

Refusenicks are few. No matter what we do, they will appear from time to time; this is America. We must forever stand ready to do battle with those who can't stand independent thought. It was right to insist on the child standing, to refrain from disrupting the others - they are kids, after all. He must not be compelled to speak what he doesn't believe. However, requiring him to leave the room is equal to insisting on group prayer to Allah, and those who object can leave, or not enter until homage to the only right religion has been given, and death to the Infidels.
Public employees, and conservatives tend to make a fuss over nothing, "We allow free thought, but not if it takes us by surprise, or hurts our feelings, or we can’t handle it emotionally...." We'd have it a lot easier if we kept Flag/God saluting out of public education, and meetings, but I won't hold my breath. Instead, for the moment, I'll limit my suggestions to cancellation of his citizenship and a boat-ticket to his parent’s old country. See how fast they instruct him to refrain from grown-up decision-making until he is one. Unless, of course, they are knee-jerk Liberals, in which case it's hopeless.

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SALUTING THE FLAG

Refusal to salute the flag because the country is racist, or other complaints is dense thinking. All the benefits we enjoy in the US are connected to this nation being what it is, whatever it may be, including the right to object to it. For this reason, you should pledge your allegiance to the system that affords such freedom.
The very fact that the constitution gives you the right to refuse to pledge your allegiance by saluting its symbol, is the reason you should, in gratitude for having that very right. Whatever it is you object to, it is not the system, but people living within it. Of course, some abuse it, as sure as there are those who don’t. Whatever you object to is the product of individuals, not the system, and it is of them you should complain, knowing that, just as you think you have a right to what you want, others do too, and we all have different wants that clash, which is why we all should appreciate our nation.
Our flag is the symbol of all the freedom we enjoy, including the absolutely necessary obligation to permit others the right to object to your values, as others must permit you. That’s what the American flag means, so salute America, or be of the moral character you claim to have, by leaving it.

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AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

I object to it. It aint necessary. Under the present system, all schools should be mandated to refrain from qualification testing where the race of the child is shown in any way; though the parent, applying in person for a place would, of course, give that away. It is, however, easily possible for schools to consider all applications without names, or addresses, or any other indication that would reveal the probable race, or religion of the applicant, and use only an application number. I assume enrollment could be easily applied for, and facilitated by post, or e-mail.

The problem is that certain people, like Colin Powell ( I really hate to disagree with him ), believe in controlling the results: the democratic spread by race. With the use of application numbers, whatever spread results would be unplanned, therefore democratic. Ce-Sera-Sera! What will be, will be! We should seek nothing more.

Discomfort in the company of people from different cultures, lack of self-esteem, intolerance, hate, inability to deal with others, all result from the lack of direction and a self-determined meaning of life. A youngster without direction naturally seeks the only face-saving approach to the future available to him. He will choose a false basis on which to respect himself, which is usually racial and religious hatred.

Students should leave grade school having had an introduction to self-development of self-esteem, followed by development of one’s ideas concerning himself in connection with others, in Junior High, and a polished idea of who one is before leaving high school, probably in the form of a dissertation on the subject, “Who am I, what made me so, and where am I going?“.

To my knowledge, no such approach is being used in any school. If that’s not the case, let me know. If it is, make it so.

Every level of education from age ten, should include a class on our nation; its system of government, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution - with students at each class-level writing a paper on a particular portion of a document. High School should include the study of various interpretations of the Constitution, and the creation of the Bill of Rights. Including the No-No, “The Constitution AND the Bill of Rights;” There’s just the Constitution; the “Bill of Rights” is an historic document, not a current, separate set of laws.

You didn’t? !!!!!

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ONE MORE THING: INTELLIGENT DESIGN

On the subject of, Evolution/”Intelligent Design, Because we are what we were raised to be: of a particular religion, religious or not, God‘s sudden impulse, or a distant relative to the Chimps in the Zoo, whatever; Student’s acceptance of evolution hinges on “conditioned response.” Kids coming from, and returning to, their homes where evolution is rejected as invalid, will not accept it. They will tolerate the instruction, but will dismiss it as undeserving of further thought. They *will not* take it with them into life. Kids raised in the opposite environment will not instinctively reject it.
Besides, I don’t think they should be taught something their culture rejects. Not if it isn’t essential. I don’t believe it is.

Evolution, being a science, and intelligent design being a product of religion, evolution must continue to be taught as the only valid theory until new *scientific* evidence invalidates it.
Therefore, converting to an education system that serves the interests of us all is the only way to fly; my version of privatization would eliminate the war between Ape-people, and Adam’s people; we‘d all get our way, and the argument will end.

And Adam’s people will get a real shock when Caesar, the Chimp, lands in a space ship from the future, with his pregnant wife, and talks.

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WE INVITE YOUR COMMENTS. Please be civil.

© 1997 burtonridgeway @yahoo. com

Please visit these other briefs:

A better way to secure our benefits:
Social Security
*
Another idea on:
Taxes
*
We could rid ourselves of the political election circus act:
”The FECMA Conspiracy.”
*
Who’s body is it, anyway?:
Abortion
*
We need a better approach than:
"The War on Drugs"
*
Are we destined to go on and on about the right to own an arsenal?
Guns and the 2nd amendment
*
Is it really a threat?
A National ID Card
*
A commentary on the not-so-little things about our legal system.
Law and Order
*
The solution to:
Our health insurance problems
*
Our cities are terrible!
*
Proposed changes to the Constitution
*
A commentary on miscellaneous issues and questions we face:
Miscellaneous.
*
Rev./Rab./Fr. Burton
at the pulpit
*
On Near-east problems
*
For your funny bone:
Thoughts too minor for serious people
*
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