Gov. Christie pushes pilot program that would privatize public schools
TRENTON — He called it a pilot program, an “experiment,” a restoration of hope.
It was also – for better or worse – an historic moment.
Gov. Chris Christie proposed Thursday that private companies play an unprecedented role in public education, managing some schools and creating others from the ashes of dysfunctional ones.
The governor said the state would launch its experiment in five chronically failing schools where students are hopelessly mired in traditional approaches to education that have utterly collapsed.
“This pilot program will provide an innovative alternative for those children who need it most, bolstering our efforts to ensure opportunity for every child in our state,” the governor said. “This program will begin to restore hope in communities where failing schools deny children hope and opportunity.”
Districts wanting to participate in the five-year program would have to apply. If selected, they could either allow a private company to come in and manage a failing school or authorize a company to launch a new school.
http://www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2011/06/gov_christie_pushes_pilot_prog.html
I'm usually to the left on most issues, but I actually think this is a good idea. Yes, it screws over every single public school employee. But what's more important here, the quality of education or the quality of life for school system bureaucrats? Yes, government jobs are sweet and yes by comparison working for a corporation sucks for most workers. But maybe it's time a lot of government workers just have to deal with that the way everyone else has to.
To be clear, I'm not for privatization in safety related areas like fire departments and water utilities. Water especially; the private companies cut corners on maintenance, the water is less safe to drink, and that's just not acceptable.
But with schools I think this would work. Corporations are results-oriented. If you hire a corporation to run a school and tell them their fee is dependent on how well they educate those kids, then they're going to figure out a way to get it done. That's the profit motive at work, it's very different from how government workers operate. Think about the difference between interacting with a private business and your local DMV -- try complaining about customer service at the DMV, you'll get laughed right out of there or even arrested.
Government workers feel entitled, above those they're supposed to be serving, untouchable, and they're harder to fire. Ergo you just can't get the same kind of performance out of them as workers who can be easily fired.
It's a thought and may be worth a pilot program try. Hire a corporation to run a school, and clearly tie their profit to results.
