Can We Take a Breath?
Back in January, I included an article in the 4Cs Newsletter discussing public comments made about the regulation of home schools in the framework of education “reform” legislation in the upcoming legislative session. Those comments set the tone for the homeschooling community, and put us on the defensive immediately. I use the term “us”, because my wife and I homeschooled 4 of our 5 children. Unlike the Ministry of Truth media, I will declare in no uncertain terms, I am not objective on this subject. While my children are grown, Homeschoolers are my people, and I will die on the hill of parental authority, responsibility, and liberty. Parents who make the sacrifices of giving up one income, stepping away from the “free” resources of government education, and taking on the hassle, stress, and often thankless job of personally seeing that their children get an education that honors their faith and prepares them for the real world will always have my respect and loyalty.
Fast forward about a month, and the “School Choice” rhetoric has reached a crescendo. Good people, who were aligned and working well together as recently as a week ago on IP Reform, are now at each other’s throats, in many cases. Just in the last 24-48 hours, I have seen some really hateful exchanges on my Twitter feed (sorry, Elon, X is an awful name, and I won’t use it) between people who should be working together.
If I may, I am humbly asking if we can all take a breath, and turn down the temperature on this topic a few hundred degrees. As the Lord has said, “Come now, and let us reason together…”.
Problem Statement
My first exposure to algebra left me hating it. Letters don’t belong in math. However, after I started to get the hang of it, my analytical mind latched on to it. Now, it’s part of my job (software developer by trade), and I dig it. What is the problem we are trying to solve with “School Choice” legislation? Here is how MO House Speaker Tim Jones defined the problem on Twitter:
This is Twitter, so he can’t get verbose, but I kind of like that, because it forces people to get specific in as few words as possible. This tweet both defined the problem, as he sees it, and alludes to the solution, as he sees it. Several people responded to him, letting him know that parents already have a solution to that problem, in the form of homeschooling or private schools, to which he responded:
This second tweet clarifies the problem further, as he sees it. SO, in layman’s terms:
Problem Statement: Missouri government schools suck, and not everyone can homeschool or attend private school.
I feel the need to mention that the inference here is that if you can homeschool, you should. Just sayin’.
The Solution?
Having reviewed all the legislation that has been referred to by both sides of this issue, if I understood what I read correctly, said legislation has basically defined the solution as follows, with minor differences in dollar amounts and such:
Allow charter schools across the state, instead of just certain locations
Give parents the power to take public funds from the local, failing school system their children are currently in, and “move” those funds to a charter school that meets their educational goals for their children
Increase the public funds available for this practice
Establish testing and reporting standards for these charter schools, so parents and administrators can ensure goals are being met.
Giving parents who cannot homeschool or send their children to a private school other options is a good thing. I support this 100%, in spirit.
The Devil is in the (Missing) Details
The legislation in question, SB 727, which includes references to the other legislation, but is basically what is up for discussion, is dangerous, not because of what is in it, but because of what is not in it. For example, there are no provisions or restrictions for any of this funding to only go to United States citizens. That, alone, is a show-stopper for me. Dead stop.
My concerns aside, here is a joint statement that was released by a group of Missouri Grassroots Organizations and voters in opposition to this legislation:
Now, I feel the need to make one thing very clear. I have not seen anything in the current legislation that changes, in any way, how homeschools or private schools are regulated, should they choose not to take advantage of the funds made available by this legislation. Nor would this legislation make us any more at risk to additional homeschool regulation than we would otherwise be in any given legislative session. This is why being involved in the political process is a must for all homeschool families, and anyone that cares about them. We are one bad bill away from being made criminals at any time.
Coming Together
Let’s review the original problem statement:
Missouri government schools suck, and not everyone can homeschool or attend private school.
How often do conservatives lament the cultural rot in our society today? Our schools and universities have played an enormous role in how we got here, and if we do not do something now, we will likely never recover. What happens in public schools impacts all of us, homeschooled or not. Charter schools are not a silver bullet, but they are a step in the right direction, and something that can likely get the votes needed to pass this session. We need to work with our legislators to ensure the wording of any bill adequately protects homeschools and private schools that choose not to participate, as much as possible, understanding that any law passed could be repealed later.
As for me, if SB 727 is amended to limit any benefits only to US Citizens, does not change the compulsory education ages, and specifically adds language to protect homeschools and private schools from any additional regulation or oversight, should they choose not to participate, I would support such a bill.
Where Do We Go From Here?
As I said before, charter schools are not a silver bullet. The educational system requires a substantial overhaul, from who gets a say in how it works, to how it is funded. Whatever we do, conservatives must work together to find solutions, or our division will be used against us by the left, and it will continue to get worse. If you would like to be part of the solution, come to a 4Cs meeting sometime, and let’s talk about it.
Godspeed!