Education choice

Last night I had a School Committee meeting. Although, we meet 2 dozen times a year, it is rare that the 5 members of the SC have a significant public policy debate. Most of the time policies are either mandated by Federal or State DOEs. The few policies not guided by DOEs are constrained by hard legal or financial facts.

However, the few times that we do have serious policy debates they do or should provide the school district a strategic framework. School Committees are misunderstood entities yet have very focused roles. In MA., SC tend to have one employee (the Superintendent), provide financial oversight, and set strategy through policies.

So, the debate was about something called interdistrict school choice. By adopting this policy ( by a 3 to 2 vote) non resident children can apply to attend school in our school district. There are parameters and guidelines that will govern the implementation of this policy; so it isn't quite as wide open as it sounds. The home town of the new student sends a $5000 payment to the new district. There is also another separate policy discussion about providing non resident district school employees the benefit of sending their children to school with them. In that case, the employees' hometowns do not send a check.

I believe the policy of PUBLIC school choice is extraordinarily important. In ALL educational studies, the one common characteristic of a successful student regardless of race, class, or socioeconomic background, is that they have someone in their life who promotes the value of education.

Now, promoting the value of going to a particular school due to the fate of where one sleeps at night is not particularly compelling. There is no commitment or investment.

However, the simple act of choosing to attend a school whether or not it is in your neighborhood does empower a parent or caregiver to make a mental commitment and hopefully overtime an emotional investment.

As consumers in a market economy we have been trained to evaluate and make choices. As unique individuals with a sense of ourselves, we are predisposed to defending our choices in life for better or worse.

From my perspective there is no simpler and more effective way to empower a student and his or her caregiver to value public education than to empower them to choose their own public school.

Over the next year or two, I will work on discussing policies to extend more intra district choice options to parents. With building renovations and site based management, in our district, the parameters guiding the implementation of intradistrict choice will need to be thought out.

Unlimited school choice requires an unlimited amount of money. Not until private schools make it their mission to try to educate 100% of the children who show up on their doorsteps will I be willing to enter into any "voucher" policy discussion. One just needs to look at the ethnic and religious strive tearing apart countries around the world to see the awesome power of America's public school system to make our melting pot of a society succeed.