It’s been largely true that parents on the whole lack both voice and choice in a monopoly public school system. Essentially, they and their children are trapped into being a captive audience. Yet, remember, education is about learning to be critical thinkers, developing self-expression skills, making wise life choices, etc., etc.
However, some say, voice is granted through parent advisory councils in schools, and district advisory councils on the district level. But, how much does it really count?
Choice, it is also said, is granted to those few parents who choose to send their children to private (often costly schools) or independent religious schools. Some parents exercise their choice by educating their children at home.
Choice advocates promote vouchers or tuition tax credits, so that public dollars collected for education can follow the child. But, these efforts are beaten down by stakeholders, mainly teacher unions, who mobilize funds, manpower, and public relations against such efforts.
But, it seems parents might be getting choice via the back door! How ironic! Look what’s happening.
Feb. 05/07 Vancouver Sun reports on the topic of school closures. The threat of a school closure triggers parental response to seek openings for their children in other schools before spaces become unavailable. What has happened on the north shore of Vancouver, in the two communities of North and West Vancouver is that one school district is suffering falling enrolment, while another is experiencing migration of students from next door. North Shore News has the headline: N. Van’s school pain is W. Van’s gain. A N. Van school (Balmoral) is expected to be closed.
Not only are parents choosing stability and continuity in a school, they are also choosing from a variety of choices that are likely to suit their children’s talents and interests. West Vancouver has a variety of choices including a hockey academy, soccer academy and the International Baccalaureate Program.
Parents from North Vancouver would also like more choices that would be a magnet to draw students to their schools. Lacking a voice in producing magnet schools, parents vote with their feet.
Lacking voice and influence in their schools frustrated parents have the recourse of trying to gain support from their community through letters to the editor. A recent letter in the North Shore News urges such mobilization.
People may wonder about the role of school boards and how fair or businesslike are their decisions. We must remember, school district trustees are politicians, and “petty” (as in small) politicians at that. Too often school trustee politicians use their role as stepping stones to greater political stature, using school district affairs as a “farm team” experience. They are elected from their community, usually running on ideological, political platforms and with the backing of various self-interested lobby groups.
They might either be politicos-in-training, or, as in the Vancouver School Board, the “community representatives” are dominated by educators. 7 of the 9 trustees are either teachers, ex-teachers (one having been a long time teacher union official) or otherwise with education backgrounds. One trustee has been there for 20 years, therefore qualifies as a member of the status quo, a charter member of the system. How can parents get some representation in decision-making in this scenario?
In a recent blog in North Vancouver I discovered the following:
- Anonymous said…
- I hate to be cynical, but no one really cares about School Board. School Trustees are not worth much to this community. All the work and decision-making is done by the Admistration and simply rubber-stamped by the Trustees, the same trustees that voted themselves a big raise for serving absolutely no purpose whatsoever. The provincial government should scrap School Boards altogether.
- Another blog in that same discussion about Balmoral has this to say about choice:
said… The thing is, I do not think that past school boards have given a lot of choice to parents. I am not sure about the new school board, as my children are all grown. But if choices are not given then parents will find alternate forms of education.
A day later in the same discussion Mr. Anonymous proposes a plan to dissolve school boards:
- School Boards should be dissolved. Their “responsibilities” could easily be taken over by municipal councils which would give Councils full control of school facilities 24/7. As Trustees actually do very little, the additional workload to Councils would be minimal. Municipalities could also set up a Schools Commission, similar to the Recreation Commission model. Taxpayers would benefit by doing away with the unneccesary expense of School Boards.
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