Colorado School Voucher Update

Over at Reason's Hit and Run, they are having a vigorous discussion (see the comments) of Colorado's implementation of their new school voucher program. The discussion stems on the extent of "state vetting" of the schools being allowed to participate.

From Hit and Run:

Addendum: A writer at the Rocky Mountain news writes to note that almost half of those 82 schools were denied participation in the program, including the school that threatened to expel gay students. Repulsive as I personally find that particular policy, this does raise the sort of concerns many in the comments had about public control of private school poilcy. The Supreme Court ruled in Zelman v Simmons-Harris that voucher programs are immunized from Establishment Clause scrutiny on the grounds that they enable "true private choice" rather than state favoritism. In other words, the constitutionality depends on parents, rather than government, making the central choices. That reasoning seems prima facie incompatible with this kind of aggressive state vetting.

Why 5 and 7 Year Olds Can't Vote

My kids, Jake and Kate, went to vote with their father yesterday. He told them about the various candidates. Katie (5) grew very excited and said she was voting for the movie star. Jacob agreed when he heard that he starred in action movies. Katie later told me (I'm not making this up)--"Mom, that's why they do not allow five year olds and seven year olds to vote."

Apparently, its not only children who think movie stars should be governor.

Chinese Students Choose Charters

The San Francisco Chronicle tells the story of local Chinese students who had refused to take the Muni across town to attend schools based on economic desegregation. These students and their families wanted neighborhood schools. The district and the parents reached a compromise and now the local students will go to neighborhood charter schools.

No Help

My colleague Ted Balaker, discusses a recent union response to school volunteers at Reason's Privatization Blog, Out of Control:

Put that rake down!

Public schools often urge parents to get involved with their children’s education. So when 50 neighborhood volunteers showed up at San Diego’s Marvin Elementary School you’d think the school district would be happy. After all, because of California’s dire budget situation, local schools had to cut funding for landscaping. Many campuses became overgrown with weeds and littered with trash and broken sprinkler heads.

Too bad such acts of voluntarism violate union labor laws. The union that represents landscapers cried foul saying that schools are prohibited from giving district work to anyone but employees. The district even circulated a memo telling administrators what to do in the event this “problem” of volunteers arose. Now the principal of one school says it was wrong of her to ask for volunteers.

Marvin Elementary Principal E. Jay Derwae is one of the few sticking up for the volunteers. "Our nondistrict school foundation decided it wanted to spruce up the school because of budget cuts and because the weeds were five feet tall," he said. "The union told us we were to cease and desist. But I'm not going to tell my parents and neighbors who live in houses with impeccable yards they can't clean up the school."

California has other volunteer clean-up programs that work very well. Take Caltrans’ adopt-a-highway program. Volunteers “adopt” a stretch of highway and keep it clean. Good thing the highway clean-up union hasn’t squashed that act of voluntarism.

Environmental ED--Courtesy of Gray

In yet another last minute bill imposed by the ousted Gov., California schools will now be required to teach state-mandated environmental education.

California schools are facing yet another education requirement to contend with, courtesy of bill signed by Gov. Gray Davis.

AB 1548 requires the Office of Education and Environment within the EPA to develop a curriculum for teaching environmental issues in schools by July 1, 2004.

According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, it could cost up to $500,000 to fund the program, coupled with "unknown major costs' in teacher training. ...

The bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D- Agoura Hills, will provide a curriculum to teach environmental issues in science, math, language arts and other subjects.

Additionally, all state agencies with environment education programs will have to coordinate with the Office of Education and Environment and align their programs with state standards.

Yet another example of spreading education resources too thin and failing to focus on a core mission of raising reading and math achievement in public schools. In my experience dubious environmental issues and discussions already take up a significant portion of school time.

If state standards would make the discussion more balanced this might not be such a bad idea. However, the curriculum will likely favor an environmentalist agenda. If schools cannot manage to teach history and science without raging political debates, it seems like a potential future firestorm to come to terms with a "standard" environmental curriculum.