(Guest Post by Matthew Ladner)
Both the Mississippi Senate and House passed ESA legislation for children with disabilities today. Check the FF for details, bills now head to conference. Congrats to Mississippi’s choice champions…not counting chickens yet but….can’t……….resist……..
!!!BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!
Mississippi may be first to pass a new private choice bill in 2014. If so, who will be next?
Jay P. Greene's Blog 
Bringing The Topic Of ESAs To Canada
We’ve had a running conflict between teacher union and government in our province of British Columbia, Canada, for over 40 years. The latest “event” is the judgment handed down by Supreme Court that found the government to be acting in “bad faith” in bargaining, provoking a strike, and was handed a $2Million fine. It’s more complex, but that’s the general picture. Of course, there’s an Appeal. (Search words — BCTF government judgment — will bring in some stories if you’re interested.)
Today I submitted the following letter-to-the-editor so that we might hopefully vault over these problems and consider alternatives, including ESAs.
“The patience of parents and public alike has been sorely tested by the endless conflicts between the teachers’ union and the government.
What we fail to remember is that these struggles have been going on for over 40 years, not the 12-year period recently highlighted by the recent BC Supreme Court decision (BCTF vs BC, 2014). Furthermore, this happens regardless of the political stripe of the government of the day — be it Social Credit, NDP (socialist) or Liberal.
This is a power struggle that may never be sorted out. Legal actions bankrupt resources. Students are shortchanged. And parents, who are ultimately responsible for their children’s education, are left unsure, frustrated and unable to pursue their children’s best interests.
Much of the problem rests with the service model adopted to ensure an educated public. The mistake is to consider education as a public utility that only a government monopoly can provide. The predictable happens — special interests vie for control and interfere with the intended mission.
However, if the common good of appropriately educated students is to be served, why not seek alternative models to deliver the desired outcomes?
Even now, economists are warning that many school graduates are not meeting career or college expectations. But so much is known about what works in education and much more can be achieved with greater innovation, flexibility and stability.
Why not release the public education dollar and have it follow the student? Charter schools are working elsewhere. Education Savings Accounts are being used in some US states for parents to shop and mix-and-match education choices for their kids. In particular, special needs and talents are better served in this manner.
This current impasse provides a great opportunity to try different ways to help our kids and grandkids get the education they need for the 21st Century. “
Great to hear…keep us in the loop!
[…] https://jaypgreene.com/2014/02/13/mississippi-senate-and-house-send-pass-esa-bills/ […]
Unfortunately, or perhaps predictably, the cap on the number of students to whom the program will be available is pretty low – the Senate version caps at 2,500 kids and the House at 500. Reconciliation is necessary before the bill hits the governor’s desk.
Hopefully the opponents of choice won’t be able to stall the process but even in passage the number of students means this is a pilot program. Progress for sure but not exactly the promised land.
Of course it would probably help if there were agreement, or even mention, of that educational promised land but whatever the desired end-point it either doesn’t bear or merit mention. At least no one much seems to be eager to mention what that end-point of public education reform might be.
[…] Matt Ladner put it more succinctly: “!!!BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!” […]