Education reform attention turns to Idaho
By Wayne Hoffman
The failed multimillion dollar campaign to boot Wisconsin Gov. Scott
Walker from office is on its way to Idaho. We don’t know what form it
will take, but you can imagine that some of the messages tried in
Wisconsin will also be attempted here—all in an effort to return
Idaho’s education system to a status quo that empowers labor unions
and puts their interests ahead of schoolchildren.
The labor unions don’t like that Idaho’s education reforms are
allowing excellent teachers to be recognized and rewarded for their
great work, is creating heightened transparency in the union
negotiation process, has restored the power of elected school boards
and now provides a means for school districts and their students to
take advantage of technological innovation.
Opponents, chiefly the Idaho Education Association, want things
returned to the way they used to be, and they’re determined to get
Idaho voters to reject three measures that will be on the November
ballot.
Unfortunately for Idaho’s education reform opponents, but fortunately
for Idaho students and their parents, the messages in Wisconsin fell
flat. TV ads meant to invoke voter anger didn’t deliver.
My favorite TV ad features a series of protagonists charging that Gov.
Walker has destroyed Wisconsin’s public education system: “Scott
Walker,” the ad begins, “you can’t improve our schools when you cut
$800 million from education, increase classes sizes (with) 3,000 fewer
educators in our state.”
Wisconsin voters, like those in Idaho, are smarter than that.
Here’s the message from another TV campaign: “Governor Walker’s
counted you out … He destroyed workers’ rights, then Wisconsin jobs.
Now, if you’re not earning equal pay for equal work, it’s harder to
fight back.”
Another flop.
Still another: “In Wisconsin, we have a tradition of working together,
but Scott Walker ignored that by eliminating collective bargaining,
taking away 50 years of workers’ rights.”
One ad tried a mash-up between Walker’s administration and that of
President Nixon’s during Watergate scandal.
“What did Scott Walker know and when did he know it?” MSNBC
commentator Ed Schultz asks in an ad that draws on black and white
news clips featuring Walter Cronkite.
The McClatchy-Tribune News Service says some $80 million was spent on
the recall election, more than double previous records for that state.
And despite all of that money and all of that messaging, the campaign
to undo Walker’s reforms fell short.
In the months leading up to the November election in Idaho, education
reform opponents will hurl all sorts of interesting allegations
regarding education reform, all in an attempt to retain power at the
expense of student achievement.
It’s important to remember why education reform is important: Idaho’s
schoolchildren deserve the very best education system we can offer.
They deserve a system that puts the interest of students first, which
means the retention of the best teachers, the best technology and
empowered, accountable school boards.
Today, because of education reform, parents can be assured that in
Idaho’s school system, the students come first. Students can be
assured that they’ll be using 21st century technology and 21st
innovative learning methods. Teachers can be assured they’ll be
rewarded for hard work. Taxpayers can be assured they’re getting the
best bang for their buck. And if voters heed Wisconsin’s lead and
uphold Idaho education reforms with three yes votes, it will continue
to stay that way.
Wayne Hoffman is Executive Director of the Idaho Freedom Foundation.
Wayne Hoffman mistakenly sent his job application to the Journal it was meant for the Koch Brothers.
This has always been about crushing the Democrats “boots on the ground” Unions, Privatizing everything for profit, relaxing buisness regulation (so everywhere looks like the FMC superfund site) end result…lower wages, wealthier plutocrats.
Whew! What planet does this man live on?
Wayne Hoffman,
Scott Walker’s multi-million dollar campaign to keep his seat very successful. You have it backwards as to who had the money during the campaign. Those fighting to recall Scott Walker were outspent 7 to 1, and too Walker’s average donation much larger than that of the recallers. This is a matter of public record. Hoffman must think no one reads the news. It is probably true that those who watch Fox TV News don’t know this.
Walker’s tail was saved by multimillionaires and billionaires. The most appalling example is was that of Wisconsin’s richest woman, billionaire Diane Hendricks. She is the one who Walker was videoed saying his strategy was going to be to divide and conquer the middle class. Hendricks was Walker’s single biggest donor. She gave him more than $500,000! Was she generous to a fault? No! because in fact she paid no Wisconsin state income tax last year, whereas in the past she had paid one or 2-million each year. You might say she was a wise investor in buying a politician. She made out like a bandit.
And Hoffman you are trying to do the same as Walker — stir up resentment against school teachers by trying to create the perception that they make 5 or 10-thousand dollars a year more than the average Idahoan in our low wage state. It is divide and conquer for you too, and on behalf of those so rich that the average Idahoan can’t even imagine the lifestyle your bosses live.
Here is Walker and Wisconsin’s richest woman, billionaire Diane Hendricks, who pays no state income tax.
http://is.gd/NKsD4N
Mostly Mike,
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20120608/GPG0706/206080525/Guest-column-winners-losers-Wisconsin-s-recall-elections
http://www.westernjournalism.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Recall-TV-Spending.jpg
Yes, indeed who are these people? Good luck in following the money trail. And then while you’re at it explain why the voters agreed with them and left him in office? When a recall effort is poorly funded it means no one supports it or it that too hard to follow?
And if there is a way to cut your taxes, you bite the bullet and ignore it? Dude, that’s not reality? Who made that tax rule? Yup, those people. Bit them didn’t it? But blame the person who noted the change and took advantage of it, how gauche!
Got a grandson who is a teacher. There are problems in schools as he is finding out and most aren’t monetary in nature although he won’t pass up a raise, will he?
Funny how conservative opponents of Obama protest his administration’s attempts to instigate “European” style government, they see nothing wrong with the conservative/Libertarian agenda of emulating the 1988 Education Reform Act instituted in England and Wales.
Hoffman praises the Idaho Education Reform attempts including giving greater power to the school boards. The goal of education reforms throughout the U.S. and Europe, however, is to if not eliminate, to weaken the power of local entities on all levels, and to achieve central control of the content, funding and organization of U.S. schools.
We are told that the changes made will ensure that parents have greater choice over their kids’ educations; however the ultimate result of charter schools, vouchers, a common curriculum, lessening of local control, emphasis on testing of students on state and national levels and the focus on student test scores for the large part to evaluate teacher performance will achieve one central goal: to make education a commodity. as such, “free market” principles, we are told will make more choice possible. In reality it will actually limit parental and local control, narrow curriculum choice, and further add to the previously disastrous one size fits all education of our children.
The Education Reform Laws and the events in Wisconsin that Hoffman feels actually put “students First” obviously have more to do with political gain than with serving Idaho’s children.
The Chairman of Oregon State University’s global studies program, Kim Yong Zhoau, compared China’s current education reform goals to increase student ability to experiment, invent and innovate, with U.S. Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind requirements. Both are test and data driven. Zhoau said that the U.S. is trading their number one ranking in innovation and invention to become like China is today, a “nation of test takers”.
All three Idaho laws are patterned after these shallow uniform reforms and need to go down in November for more research, more teacher and parent input, and a more common sense and creative approach to the funding of long term change.
So give everyone a voucher and let them put their children where they think best? But I suspect your side is against vouchers too?
DR,
What you don’t realize is that public schools teach everyone, regardless of financial ability- private and charter schools do not! Giving vouchers to everyone and allowing parents to choose the school of choice just off sets the cost of the rich. I know a pharmacist who is not rich, but he makes over a hundred thousand a year, and he sends his children to a charter school. I didn’t have choice, nor did my children, nor my grandchildren.
Jay,
He don’t care, he’s just opposite of where ever you are, he’s just towing the line for the Republicans. He adds nothing to this Idaho conversation.
JENUWIN,
Well said.
I call it “education repay” its more accurate than “reform”
Let us take a closer look at the educational reforms in Idaho, “Students Come First”.
1. The students in Idaho were performing at a higher level than adjacent states according to Tom Luna before the election, and they continue to perform well after. The laws have nothing to do with student achievement!
2. Local school boards never lost control to local teacher associations. Boards still hire and fire, establish policy, and control the budgets of local districts now as they did before the reforms.
3. The tenure that teachers received after a three year probation, just provided teachers with due process. Administrators and board members have to prove that the teacher is incompetent. Now if an administrator cannot determine that a teacher is substandard during the three years of probation, then maybe the administrator is incompetent. Coaches do not have due process, and even successful coaches, come and go as chaff in the wind. Due process takes time and eliminates the rash vindictive behavior of administrators, board members, or influential people of the community.
I am acquainted with a biology teacher who taught evolution in the class room, as mandated by the state. A local member of the community approached a board member after church and discussed what he thought was inappropriate behavior. Those individuals met with the superintendent and discussed ways that could be used to remove the teacher. If it was not for due process, in which they discovered the ability of the educator and the majority of the board decided not to act, he would have been terminated.
4. Local associations negotiated with local boards often for the benefit of the students. They negotiated for smaller class sizes, which according to research of kindergarten through third grade, produce better performing children. They negotiated text book rotation in order to provide updated knowledge.They negotiated the work day, where research demonstrates that children who start school later in the morning achieve higher on test than those who start school in early morning. They negotiated for money that offsets the money they have to spend throughout the year for their students. They negotiated for better facilities and safer environments for their students. They negotiated for policies that improve student performance: ways to eliminate bullying, harassment, and discrimination.
They often negotiated for members and nonmembers of the association. They negotiated for duty free lunch, which provides them with 30 minutes to eat, prepare for afternoon subjects, and a time to reteach students that require it. They negotiated salaries and benefits, which by the way are the only two things that they can still negotiate.
And by the way, when negotiations are finished the final decision of what is or is not accepted is the board’s. The only requirement is that both parties negotiate in good faith.
5. Local associations accept with open arms the transparency of negotiations and invites all members of the community to attend.
6. What most people do not realize is that teachers during the financial crises took from a four to a five percent cut in pay to help out local districts, and now they are going to receive it in the form of recognition- merit pay. That’s like taking a dollar from your hourly wage and then giving some of it back as a bonus.
7. Finally, let’s discuss technology. The cost of lap tops given to all Idaho students, and the cost of maintenance and repair of those mobile computer devices. How does the school control the use of the lap tops once they are home, and how will the school prevent the downloading of viruses into the system. With the cut backs in Idaho education, where text books cannot be adequately rotated and bought, how is a school district going to be able to provide and maintain lap tops.
Maybe someone can explain to me how mandated on line courses is going to improve student performance. Schools across the state have offered on line courses, but to those who want to take them.
Now, off of the subject. Mr. Hoffman is the first to stand up and shout foul when the US government interferes with freedom. And in many cases he has bashed the state, but here he feels that the state stepping in and mandating certain actions by local school districts is okay. I find his entire article to be hypocritical.
Mr. Hoffman is comparing apples and oranges here. A recall of an elected official is much different than finally given voters a chance to voice their opinion on something that passed despite much opposition. I’ve heard many people say they have buyer’s remorse about voting for Luna but they would not vote to recall him because he didn’t do anything illegal. I would imagine the same thinking was in play in Wisconsin.
The Students Come First legislation was hidden from the public until after the election and was rammed through by the majority party. Parents were ignored. Teachers were ignored. The voters had absolutely no say in these bills. Voters will finally get a say this November. Let’s hope they realize these bills certainly do not put students first.
D.R.,
Giving vouchers has been thought to be a panacea for rich and poor alike by giving parents choice in where their child will attend school; however, as Jay Hook pointed out, not everyone can afford to place their child in another school for various reasons. The facts tell us that parents do not make the ultimate choice of getting their child into a private or even a charter school. In fact, it is the school that chooses who will or will not be accepted. They often eliminate the poor, minorities, underachievers, and students with mental or emotional challenges that lead to academic difficulties. Even with these advantages, however, in many more cases than one would think, according to research children in private and charter schools do not always show appreciably more achievement on test scores than public school students.
Policy makers have failed to hold schools accountable for providing a quality education because they’ve focused on accountability as measured by student test scores, rather than concentrating on making sure that all schools have the resources and support systems in place to meet the needs of all the students they serve. Then, (we may dream on) they will begin holding themselves accountable if they don’t.
Unions have outlived their usefulness. Government must stay within their means. Unions don’t care whose money they spend… Its about time that political accountability is required. Just like a recent local elections, a union helped elect a certain politician that should have been put out to pasture!
Jenuwin,
I agree with you but I suspect some of it may be wishful thinking.
They gave vouchers to parents here and a number put their children in ‘charter schools’ that guaranteed they learned nothing. The state saw what was happening and made stiffer requirements and the charter schools shaped up and quickly, however the same parents then took their children out because it was too hard. Sometimes parents are a worse enemy than anyone else put together.
There are a number of what I refer to as “military schools” in the hill country here and their students excel. They recently did an experiment in Austin where there was a girls only school and it was successful they’re thinking of expanding it to include a boys only school. All sorts of things going on. Sure is hard to get people on all sides to be accountable, isn’t it?
D.R.,
Interesting stuff. I liked your comment about the parents. While teaching in a “culturally deprived” area I taught kids from average and below economic backgrounds. Without fail the students whose parents were involved in the academic and the extracurricular aspects of their child’s education were the ones who are now successful and involved citizens. Despite poor facilities, limited curriculum, and teachers who usually did a touch and go after gaining a little experience, they were able to get a solid college education. To exclude such parents from major decisions affecting the education of their children as was done in Idaho is a travesty in my opinion.
Jenuwin,
Good points.
Parents! Some drive you to distraction. One of the more common problems here is Hispanic mothers who convince their children they’ll never succeed because…..well the main reason they give is they’re Hispanic. I’ve gone head to head with more than one mom and gotten down in the 4 letter word bucket more than once.
You’re right about parents who are involved, damn the economic circumstances. There was a study about the number of books that was in a household as an indication of student success and it didn’t particularly have anything to do with how big and fancy the house was. I took one mother to Half Price books here and showed her where to get the books at the end of the semester for her son to use the next semester in the college course. Course she was unhappy that her son wasn’t the first student in the new course but didn’t argue about the greatly reduced price of the book. I even showed her how to rent the darn things. Finally she ran out of excuses. Her son is doing fine. Told him bluntly, get me a B+ average and I can find doors for you to try.
After spending a huge amount of time in computers over the years, there is a difference we’re ignoring. Some students do well on computers and other see them as a plaything. Hard to break bad habits. Video games especially.
And unfortunately, what do you do when the parents won’t belly up to the bar of responsibility. You finally if you’re careful and have tried everything you can think of, you exclude them. Perhaps in a few cases a travesty but in a lot of cases the only option left. Be sure to put everything in $$$$$ terms that will scare any parents witless in a heartbeat. They’re barely making it and you want 150% of what they don’t make?
Comparing Idahos educational reform with Scott Walkers situation in Wisconsin is ludicrus. Idaho should love the IEA. What have they done but negoitiated Idaho teachers to the lowest wages in the country and represented some of the best teachers in the country. I think Wisconson has very different circumstances the wages are much higher the union mentality has been developed from year of industry pushing the wages up. Wisconsin used to be the major producer of industrial and mining equipment in the country. Idaho and Wayne are just trying to compare this situation with ours because it makes them feel justified. Idahos flock shot a education was uncalled for. The system was never broken. If things were out of hand like they were in Wisconsin maybe something should be done. Another difference is that Walker is probably qualified to be Govenor, Luna is not qualifed to be the leader of public education.