[Winona Online Democracy]
Today's WDN had an interesting guest editorial on school funding and
organization. I will paste it below.
Dennis Burke has some interesting ideas, much of which should be
supported by our current Governor who pushes for the efficiencies of
centralization of governmental functions whenever possible (except
perhaps in his own back yard of suburbia). Dennis suggests that local
control is not necessary and that we should be funding our schools via
the income tax. Doing away with local school boards / districts and
having it all run by the state does sound like it would have to cost
less in administration. Would it save money and be more efficient? If
it is true that basic education curriculum, etc. is not a localized
thing in our state, then what are the negatives to centralization?
(BTW the State has been using its funding clout to force consolidation
of small school districts for years.)
Craig Brooks
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A modest proposal for Minnesota schools
By Dennis Burke / Winona
I'm a product of our public school system, and I believe I received a
good education. I have no children in the system, nor to I work for the
school district, so I hope my point of view is objective.
The problem seems simple to me. We need to teach our children reading,
writing, arithmetic, art and science — I think of them as the three R's
plus. We need teachers who can teach. We need a building for the
teachers and students. It does not get more simple than this.
If children learn these things reasonably well, they can go a long way
in this world. High schools should concentrate on the basics and let
higher education worry about the rest.
The problem seems to be about money. The big problems are politics and
selfishness, and many children take a back seat to this.
Why politics? We hear the claim that local control is needed. Is
learning how to read different in Duluth than in Winona? I don't think
so. Educating children is the same there as it is here. We are not
separate ethnic enclaves.
What does local control have to do with educating children? Local
control seems to be a relic of past centuries when long distance
communication problems existed, and when communities were homogeneous in
ethnic makeup and religious structure. This is no longer the case. We
now live in a new age, and we need a new model for getting resources
equally to all of Minnesota's children.
Why selfishness? Many rich and powerful school districts in Minnesota
can afford to pay more in property taxes and keep their schools
state-of-the-art. It's not a big pinch for them. Their kids are getting
a great education and they seem not to care about other districts'
problems — except in word.
It seems to come down to how we will pay for public education.
Property taxes for single homeowners, in my view, are immoral. You need
air to breath. You need water to drink, and you need a safe place to
sleep at night.
I don't have a problem with property taxes on properties that generate
revenue or second homes and vacation homes. These taxes can and should
be used to support our police and fire fighters.
What we need is a new tax and management model for Minnesota public
education.
A tax model that could provide a good and equal education for all of
Minnesota's children would be based on income taxes.
The money is there. Increasing income taxes a little bit will not lead
to a loss of jobs nor the ability to purchase a home — although the
myth-spinners would have you believe otherwise.
By reorganizing school management into one district — the district of
Minnesota n we could save multi-millions of dollars in administrative costs.
We only need one statewide curriculum director. Minnesota only needs one
school transportation director, etc.
Simplify and save should be our new motto.
Why can't teachers just be state employees with pay adjusted for local
cost of living, with graduated pay increases based on years of service.
This model seems to work fine for all other government agencies. No
longer would there be these crazy district contract negotiations or
strikes which have a negative effect on our student population.
It's not that big a problem to solve. The only problem to solve is how
to overcome the growing culture of greed.
Dennis Burke is a self-employed carpenter. He lives in Winona.
Guest views are opinions of the author and don't necessarily reflect the
views of the Winona Daily News. They are published to stimulate thought
and to provide an expanded forum on issues of local interest.
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