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Ellen Belcher is the Dayton Daily News opinion pages editor. She writes about state government, education, the environment, higher education and all things Dayton.
Martin Gottlieb is an editorial writer and columnist for the Dayton Daily News opinion pages. He focuses on the political process itself and does such national issues as war, the economy, taxes and Social Security, as well as a hodge-podge of local and state issues.Home > Blogs > A Matter of Opinion > Archives > 2009 > April > 14 > Entry
Guest column: Governor should trust parents to do what’s best for their kids
Christine Musgrave Beard, of Arlington, is president of the Ohio Coalition of eSchool Families.
“That’s not fair!”
Who among us has never said those words? Most of us have built-in fairness radar — especially when it comes to how others treat us. So then why is it so hard for people like Gov. Ted Strickland to apply fairness to our public school system?
For years, Ohioans have known that the school funding formula isn’t fair. Even the Ohio Supreme Court said that was true. And in his 2006 campaign, Strickland staked his success on solving this issue.
No wonder Ohio residents paid attention to the State of the State address the governor gave in February, hoping that he would spell out a workable, honest plan.
Unfortunately, they’re still waiting. That’s because the governor’s proposed plan doesn’t solve the problem he said he would fix. And it’s clearly unfair to tens of thousands of schoolchildren.
The governor’s budget would severely cut funding for public charter schools — especially virtual schools, where kids learn using 21st century technology, aided by involved parents and experienced teachers. As the parent of one of those children, and as president of a statewide education reform group representing thousands of other families, I must say that the governor’s unfairness is troubling.
In fact, the governor’s plan just reveals a lack of understanding of how virtual schools actually operate — something my daughter and I would be glad to demonstrate to the governor. If he agrees, he would be able to see first-hand how eSchools really are successful.
But it’s not just virtual school parents who oppose the Strickland plan. He’s trying to end all school choice by shutting down public charter schools, as well. Don’t take my word for it.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote, “Make no mistake: Passage of this plan will pummel Ohio’s charter schools out of existence, and the main victims will be poor but studious youngsters who have sought a better alternative than they found in the public schools.”
The governor denies that he wants to close charters. However, the evidence says otherwise.
If he has his way, he’ll do much more than make punishing financial cuts to public charter schools. He also is proposing new regulatory burdens that won’t even apply to traditional public schools. Virtual schools — also known as eSchools — already comply with strict accountability standards, and if they don’t, the Department of Education can shut them down.
But, like all public charter schools, ultimately eSchools are accountable to parents. If my eSchool weren’t doing a great job educating my daughter, we’d send her to a different school. That’s how competition works — and it’s working. So increased standards only place more burdens on already over-regulated schools that, frankly, I’d rather have focusing on educating our kids.
And lest you think I’m showing bias and only crying foul about charter school funding — traditional school districts aren’t all treated fairly, either, by the governor’s plan. Newspapers have pointed out that some of the richest school districts in Ohio would get more money, while some of the poorest would suffer cuts.
Is that the fair solution the governor promised?
Closing charter schools would have a catastrophic effect on Ohio’s public education system. Nearly 80,000 Ohio children would be forced back into traditional public schools.
All of this can be boiled down to one question for Strickland: “Why don’t you trust parents to know what’s best for their kids?” Answer that, and perhaps we’ll finally be one step closer to finding a truly fair school funding system.
Permalink | Comments (2) | Post your comment | Categories: Education, Guest Columns, Ohio politics
Comments
By Mary
April 14, 2009 10:01 PM | Link to this
Too often, parents are blamed for their child’s reaction to the education environment, but are allowed very few choices or any control in the matter. I definitely agree parents know their child better than the government and need educational options.By Renee Wittman, Hilliard OH
April 15, 2009 8:13 AM | Link to this
As a parent of two children who have both attended an e-school, two different public brick and mortar schools, and one traditional charter school that serves children with autism, I have been on both sides of the education playground. I can truly say that the e-school and charter school served my children’s needs well, with high standards for academcs and behavior. Our prior experience with public school in our district was disturbing. During that time, the special ed. coordinator told us that our son would have to fail first before they would provide any services or support to him. They said he had no learning disabilities, though he was later diagnosed with autism. I am grateful for school choice in Ohio and will fight until the Governor’s current plan is revised to save my child’s charter school and to guarantee that all Ohio children have school choice.