Ramona's picture

    Will Michigan be the first to privatize public education?

     

    Ever since Rick Snyder soft-talked his way into the governorship in Michigan, throwing the doors wide open for his biggest donors, the Mackinac Center, ALEC and the Koch Brothers (All for One and One for All against the Rest of Us), I've grown used to reading the craziest stuff imaginable about my beautiful state.

    I mean, it's been special.

    That bunch almost got away with the wholesale takeover of entire communities, using the ruse of a revised, blatantly unconstitutional Emergency Manager law, but--many, many thanks to the voters (and, of course, to the efforts of Chris Savage at Eclectablog and his direct line to the great Rachel Maddow)--it looks like at least this one attack on our democracy may be defeated.  And at the polls, yet.  Woo Hoo! (Okay, it's not over yet.  They're fighting it, because, you know, screw the constitution.)
     


    But, true to form, Snyder, the Republican majority legislature, and the Tyrannical Triad (All for One and One for All. . .) have already turned their misguided attentions to the other Big Thing on their agenda:  public education.  They want it gone.  For good.  Not just relegated to second banana in favor of schools-for-nothing-but-profit, but out of there.

    They're meeting today to discuss the pros and pros of doing away with our educational system, and it's not likely any of us who are horrified at the thought of privatizing our venerable, free, fair system of ensuring an adequate education for every breathing kid in America will have any impact, no matter what we say or do. 

    The superintendent of Bloomfield Hills Schools, Rob Glass, grew alarmed enough at this latest assault to send a letter home to the parents, advising them of the proposed takeover attempt.  Bloomfield Hills houses a fair share of one-to-ten-percenters and is the home town of one Mitt Romney.  Cranbrook Academy, the tony private prep school where Mitt and Anne Romney met as students, is in Bloomfield Hills.  But the school superintendent is, thankfully, a public school advocate--a hero for all children--who may just have put his job on the line by exposing the upcoming actions of the governor and his cohorts. 

    Read his entire letter to the parents here.  He says, in part (my highlights):

    I’ve never considered myself a conspiracy theorist—until now. This package of bills is the latest in a yearlong barrage of ideologically-driven bills designed to weaken and defund locally-controlled public education, handing scarce taxpayer dollars over to for-profit entities operating under a different set of rules. I believe this is fundamentally wrong. State School Superintendent Mike Flanagan and State Board of Education President John Austin and others have also expressed various concerns, as has the Detroit Free Press.
    We embrace change, innovation and personalization.We’re passionate about providing choices and options for students. We compete strongly in the educational marketplace. We must never stop improving. This is not a laissez faire plea to defend the status quo. This is about making sure this tidal wave of untested legislation does not sweep away the valued programs our local community has proudly built into its cherished school system.

    Chris Savage at Eclectablog, who cadged quotes (he readily admits) from Brainwrap at Daily Kos, who also published Rob Glass's letter, has more on this. Click here, please, and give it the attention it deserves.  Even if you're not from Michigan.  This is a battle we'll all have to fight before it's over.

     Hard core privateers from the far right have taken over the Republican party and Michigan is Ground Zero for their operations. They won't let up until they've taken it all.  Hundreds of thousands of voters across our beautiful state hit the Republican button and cast their votes for them.  They won and are cruising along on what they see as a mandate because their voters either didn't know or didn't care.  Either excuse is irresponsible and reprehensible.

    Trying to do away with public education is nothing new.  It's been going on since public education became the right thing to do in a democracy, but this is the first time in my memory that an end to all that looks possible.

    I didn't vote for greedy private interests but my grandchildren and their grandchildren and every other kid depending on free public education will have to pay the price, all because those who did vote for them gave no more thought to it than they would a vote for an "American Idol".  That's not just crazy, it's insane.

     

    (Cross-posted at Ramona's Voices)

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    Comments

    I wrote an appeal (amicus curiae brief for the ACLU) to the Minnesota Supreme Court on a $12.00 typewriter. hahahaha

    My brief was mentioned! in the opinion. hahahahahaha

    The brief was on this subject.

    Do we permit the government to give taxpayer monies to religious institutions or not?

    Well we are far past this issue since 1975?

    It is like gun control.

    I mean the issue has already been decided!

    Texas educational boards have attempted and won the war on science for sure.

    But I just noted a retraction from the most prominent Evangelist around nowadays (Robertson) attempting to squint and announce his opposition to science apologists.

    I was struck by this comment by one of the most idiotic squinters around. hahahahah

    But state legislatures with the blessing of state repub govs have taken fairy tales as truth.

    And this bothers me.

    Public education is propaganda.

    You and I both know this!

    We were taught lies for decades.

    The conservatives a simply attempting to turn that propaganda around.

    We never accepted this propaganda of course.

    hahahahah

    Oh well.

    Good points.

    I do not intend to take away from these points.

    And I sure as hell am sick and tired of this 'privatization' movement.

    All privatization means in the end involves screwing our public workers out of their pension rights.

    oh that is enough.

    I digress!

    the end


    I've never understood that whole business of giving religious entities public monies.  They don't pay taxes yet they think they're entitled to some of ours.  Of course, we have no control over any part of their operations and shouldn't get in their way.  Just send money.  Perplexing.  I would have loved to have read your brief.  (You've had quite a life, young man!)

    And does Texas still dictate what kind of text goes into textbooks?

    We're in Republican World, no matter who is president.  They lost the election and still think they can dictate terms about everything!  Wish I had that kind of chutzpah.  Oh, the places I could go!

     


    Added to this is the debate over the effect "free agent" students will have on communities, whether or not it will be detrimental.

    http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com/17983

    And Eric B has something to say about it...

    http://www.michiganliberal.com/diary/19870/fresh-of-its-selfownage-capco...

     

    Michigan is fast becoming one of the least fun places to be. It's looks like we'll soon become a Right-to-Work state as well.


    And fetuses will be getting their social security cards months before they're born.

    Thanks for the links.  I'm off to read them now.


    I hadn't thought of the community aspect of it, but in rural communities--and even in the 'burbs--that's huge.  Yes, I can see their diabolical minds thinking that far ahead and recognizing that the breaking up of school loyalties will be necessary to the success of their cause.

    I think we've hit on our battle plan.  School loyalty.  Gotta love it.  Even kids in so-called bad schools want to be with their friends.  And parents want them close to home.

    The key is to work to make bad schools better--a hurdle made even higher by the perennial public school saboteurs.  But first we have to stop this current ALEC madness.

    (A part of that bill advocates the selling off of vacant school buildings without having to get approval from local school boards.  Guess who gets first dibs on those buildings?  Charter academies, of course.  And guess who gets to oversee those academies?  Nobody.


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