Tuesday, December 15, 2009 - Meg Whitman Wrong for Education

Education reform has been debated for years, every candidate for public office always seems to have an idea to reform and make better the education system in the Country. In 2010 the candidates for office aren’t any different. California’s Governors race is shaping up to be a hotly and contested election between billionaires and those who have held the job once before, and the one main issue that will be on people’s minds heading into the election is the Budget, but with it also comes education and its own reforms.

Meg Whitman the CEO of EBay has decided to use her expertise in the business community to fix the problems facing California. She vows to fix those things that other Governors have tried and failed to do. In fact she thinks that she can not only fix our budget but also our education system. Her plan is to grade every school so parents can see how their respective schools are doing, and she says she will give those parents whose children attend a failing school the option to send their child elsewhere. Sounds great doesn’t it. Giving parents the option to send their child elsewhere sounds really good, but who is going to pay for that child’s education. If a parent is opting out of the school that is near the child’s home obviously the parent will be looking at a private school to send their children. But who is going to pay the tuition for these children. If the parents are forced to pay their own way then obviously the idea to allow the parents to change schools just doesn’t work. Should the tax payers foot the bill for these parents, and if that is the plan how are we going to fix the budget.

Meg Whitman says she wants to pay teachers based on the test scores their students achieve on the state mandated tests. Not a bad idea really, teachers being forced to either shape up or ship out, sounds great, but aren’t we just blaming the kids not learning on the teachers. Students need parents to be involved in their education to succeed yet there are many parents who seem to think their child will do fine without them. Some parents are afraid to help their child because they don’t think they know the material well enough to be of any help. But if the parents aren’t being active participants in their child’s education those children will just not learn. Teachers can do only so much, yet telling teachers that because they teach in a rural school whose kids are more concerned if their parents will stop fighting long enough for them to get some sleep, or whether the child will be able to eat lunch the next day because the parents had to make a choice, pay the rent or eat. Blaming teachers for working hard every day, staying extra hours in the classroom and practicly not getting a vacation doesn’t seem like the best way to fix the system. But does this idea really do anything?

Meg Whitman seems to have some great ideas, but she fails to grasp any real change. She talks about making reform but there seems to be no talk of actually helping the schools. If a school fails parents in that school will have the option to send their child to another school. Great, but who pays? If the tax payers are forced to foot the bill for these students the budget problem will never get fixed. How can you fix the budget if you are also having to pay for children to attend a private school? Right now we live in a world of fear, and financial stress. Now is not the time to be spending money that the state just doesn’t have. In fact Meg Whitman will be forced to raise taxes just to afford this idea. Doesn’t sound so hot anymore does it? What about her plan to pay teachers based on their students test scores. We give the schools standards and then we don’t do anything but watch the school either succeed on their own or fail.

You want to fix education why not give the schools the resources they need. How about funding the schools so they aren’t having to force their teachers to use their own money to buy school supplies. Teachers now have a hard time making photocopies because the money just isn’t there for the paper. Teachers are forced to go out and spend their own money on supplies such as pencils, crayons, erasers, markers, and other essential supplies. The state doesn’t fund education adequately and Meg Whitman doesn’t address how she will change that. You want to fix the education system in California, don’t elect Meg Whitman Governor.