Parents Need, Deserve To Be At Helm Of Children’s Education

by Jack VanNoord

Recently, the Facility Advisory Committee for Education (F.A.C.E), a District 300 steering committee made up of teachers, parents and community members unveiled the results of six months of information gathering.  Their comprehensive study reveals the need for $101 million in capital improvements and expansion.  This information is expected to be the groundwork for an $88 million referendum in the November election. 

I applaud the members of F.A.C.E. for all their work.  Unfortunately, it’s possible that their efforts will be for naught:  The last three District 300 referendums have been voted down. 

There is something wrong with an educational system that requires you to plead with your neighbors simply because you what to improve the quality of your child’s education.  

Can you imagine if the automotive industry were operated in the same way?  Image, if you would, that Ford Motor Company was manufacturing and offering only Pintos.  If the auto industry were run the same way that we run public education, that would mean a core group of us would have to convince our neighbors to fork over tens of millions of dollars so that Ford could modernize its product line.  It would take even more money if we wanted them to start offering sedans, pick-ups and  mini-vans. 

In order to bring about this multi-million dollar automotive upgrade, EVERYBODY would have to contribute including those who are completely satisfied with the cars they are currently driving and those who don’t even own cars.  

That would be a rather crazy way to run the automotive industry.  Obviously, it is far better to let each of us retain control of our transportation dollars so that we can spend them as we see fit.  Furthermore, we get the most for our money when multiple car manufacturers compete for our automotive dollars.  

So too, it is with education.  It would be far better if we were permitted to keep our educational dollars so that each of us could route those dollars to the organizations that best meet our children’s needs.  Furthermore, direct parental control over educational dollars combined with a large assortment of educational providers competing for those educational dollars would unleash the wealth of creativity, innovation and quality that is presently going untapped. 

Currently, restaurants, dry cleaners, photo studios, grocers, print shops, landscapers, jewelers, accountants, retailers, fitness centers, beauty saloons and a host of other industries go to great lengths to meet our needs by offering a variety of products and services at prices we are willing to pay.  If they can’t, they soon disappear and someone else emerges who can.  All this and we never have to go knocking on our neighbor’s door to have them sign a single petition. 

With the fall of the Berlin wall, Eastern Europe acknowledged that collectivism is a terribly ineffective way to meet people’s needs.  The collectivist approach looks good on paper, but it ends up being monolithic and stagnant.  And yet, for some reason, in this county we continue to cling to collectivist notions in a few select areas such as education. 

Far better to have many varied, overlapping, competing alternatives.  Far better to let educational consumers reward those innovators who continuously meet their child’s needs by providing a consistently high-quality education.   

Whether it is through vouchers or tax credits, it is time to unleash marketplace forces into education.  You should be able to provide for your children’s education without having to beg permission from your neighbors before spending your money on your kids.  

Thanks to all the members of F.A.C.E for all of their hard work.  But, in the grand scheme of things, I am afraid that it is tantamount to making repairs to a misdirected ship. 

08-16-2000

Written by Jack VanNoord - West Dundee.