Yugo Quality at a Hummer Price

Intel recently introduced a new chip codenamed Penryn. In terms of current technology, this new chip packs double the transistors in the same space, uses 30 percent less electricity, is 20 percent faster in switching speed, and reduces power leakage by 5 to 10 fold. In 1965 Intel’s co-founder Gordon Moore observed that transistor density doubles every two years.

If public education productivity had improved as much as computer technology since 1965, it would cost less that one cent and take less than one second to produce a K-12 education.

Regrettably, the academic achievement of the U.S. public education system is considered a Yugo by international standards. Sorry to say we are paying a Hummer of a price and the future looks bleak.

Albertsons,Walmart, Winco, and Fred Meyer all compete to serve the public. Would you be happy if the government forced you to shop at only one of these stores based on your zip code? The government should not do anything to limit parent's ability to make the best choice for their children. All education providers — government, religious, and secular — can contribute to public education because all can serve the public by educating children.

ISAT Scholarships

Bryan Fisher of the Idaho Values Alliance:

The "high stakes" test students must take to graduate from high school in Idaho is the ISAT (Idaho Standards Achievement Test). All sophomores take the 10th grade ISAT exam, which the Statesman describes as "the graduation test, which they (students) must pass before getting a diploma." This raises a thought-provoking question: if a student passes "the graduation test" in the 10th grade, and thus has demonstrated the academic proficiency we require of all high school graduates, why are we strapping him in a seat for two more years, at taxpayer expense? A better approach: once a student passes the ISAT, give him his high school diploma, and then use the taxpayer dollars Idaho would otherwise have spent on his last two years of high school instead financing the first two years of his college education. By the time he finishes what would have been his senior year, he'd already have two years of college under his belt, and he and his parents would have just two years of college to fund instead of four. Plus, students who know they are not college bound could begin training for a trade in what otherwise would have been their junior year in high school.

Gale notes:

According to the Idaho Department of Education, taxpayers were charged $8,279 per student last year. This is the average rate. Based upon the State funding formula, the rate for 11th and 12th grades is estimated at $10,665 per year.

Tuition at BSU, U of I, and ISU is $4,410 year year. The ISAT Opportunity Scholarship could provide a full four-year scholarship to any of Idaho's public universities.

Since federal grants and loans are available to private colleges, the ISAT Scholarship could also be used at Idaho's private colleges including College of Idaho, BYU-Idaho, and NNU.

Find the Road Money in the Bloated Education Budget

Last year the Idaho Department of Education reported that taxpayers were charged over $2 billion dollars for K-12 public education. This indicated a rate of around $8,279 per student for 246,717 students. In contrast, Idaho’s private schools are charging around 60 percent of the public school rate or $4,800 per student per year.

The Albertson Foundation reports that private school academic performance is at or above the public school averages. This would suggest that private schools are over 70 percent more productive than public schools.

Why not give taxpayers a break and allow more students to attend Idaho’s highly productive private schools? If just 25 percent of Idaho’s public school students could attend private schools, over $214 million dollars would be available for new road construction.

Note to Butch: Be smart, don’t raise taxes to pay for new roads, increase choice in education. Idaho can have better education and better roads without raising more taxes.

Stop the Beg-A-Thons

Why does the Meridian School District always expect kids to go door-to-door begging for more money for their schools? The State Department of Education reported that the district charged taxpayers $8,690 per student to attend their schools last year, but I guess this isn’t enough. These beg-a-thons perpetuate the myth that public schools are under-funded. Each student is expected to sell $100 worth of stuff, of which the school gets to keep $40. For students who are too busy doing homework, parents are expected to make a $40 “donation.”

I thought that the lottery was supposed to solve the under-funding crisis? Fat chance. We recently learned that 34 of the district’s 46 schools (78 percent) failed to make adequate progress. Is there any product or service that you could continue to use if it had such a dismal performance record? It looks like teachers should be spending more time teaching and less time expecting kids to shakedown the neighborhood for them. It’s easy to understand why so many parents feel that their kids are being held hostage at these costly low-performing schools.

Here’s a great offer to the Meridian School District: Let me be responsible for the education of my kids. Just give me half of the $8,690 that you spend and I’ll let you keep the other half. You get $4,345 and have one less kid to worry about. Furthermore, I promise not to call it ransom money. In the mean time stop expecting my kids to beg for you.

Hold Teachers Accountable, Not Buildings

Buildings are not responsible for educating students, teachers are. So why does the State Board of Education report ISAT scores by building name? Imagine if police gave speeding tickets to cars instead of drivers, or arrested houses instead of the drug dealers who occupy them?

By reporting ISAT score by building name instead of teacher name, the State Board is evading its constitutional responsibility to supervise the public school system. If the Board is really serious about improving education productivity, it must report scores by teacher. This would provide parents with the relevant information they need to make informed decisions about getting the best education for their children.

The Board’s credibility and reputation require full disclosure and transparency. Time to hold teachers accountable, not buildings.

Time for the State Board to Offer School Vouchers

The State Board of Education recently reported that taxpayers were charged $8,279 per student for public schools last year, but not a single school in the Nampa or Caldwell Districts made adequate yearly progress. When was the last time you spent this much money on a defective product and didn’t demand a full refund?

There is something deeply immoral about the government charging taxpayers this kind of money and forcing parents to send their children to failing schools. Clearly the current system of granting monopolies to districts has failed Idaho’s students and taxpayers. When district schools fail to provide adequate education, they don’t go out of business; they use their failure as evidence that they need bigger budgets and more staff. Expect calls for higher taxes and more spending.

So where are Tom Luna and the State Board of Education on this issue? It’s time for them to end the excuses and rhetoric and start making real reforms. Mr. Luna and the State Board must tell districts that the days of unaccountable monopoly are over. All other state agencies require competitive bidding on government contracts. So, why should the Department of Education be any different? The Board could directly offer parents the option of accepting a $5,000 voucher that could be used to attend a private school that’s accountable for its performance. This will create incentives for entrepreneurs to create high-performing and productive schools.

What would be wrong with letting students escape these failing district schools and reducing the bill to taxpayers? True accountability and improvement can only be achieved when parents have the right to choose the best school for their children. If Wal-Mart can offer money-back guarantees, why can’t our schools?

A Simple Solution to the 78 Percent Failure Rate

When was the last time you spent $8,690 on a product that failed to work 78 percent of the time? The State Department of Education reported that Meridian School District charged taxpayers $8,690 per student to attend their schools last year. Now we learn that 34 of the district’s 46 schools (78 percent) failed to make adequate progress.

So what are your choices if your child is attending one of these 34 failing public schools? Schools that fall short two years in a row are supposed to offer to pay for additional tutoring for students. Superintendent Linda Clark said, “The district will put as many resources as it can into helping improve performance of students who didn’t meet expectations on statewide achievement exams.” You may want to contact Linda Clark at 855-4500 to find out how much money the district is going to provide you with to help tutor your student.

Here is better suggestion: Why doesn’t the Meridian School District simply give the parents of students attending the 34 failing schools the option of accepting a $5,000 voucher that can be used to attend a private school that better fits their children’s needs? The district wins, the student wins, the parents win, and the taxpayers win.

Tom Luna’s new Idaho Department of Education website states, “We at the State Department of Education are determined to create a customer-driven education system that meets the needs of every student in Idaho and prepares them to live, work and succeed in the 21st century.” Obviously if 78 percent of the schools are failing then every student in Idaho will not be prepared to live, work and succeed in the 21st century. Clearly the current system of granting monopolies to districts has failed Idaho’s students and taxpayers.

It’s time for Mr. Luna to get serious about his determination to create a “customer-driven” education system. He can begin by supporting education tax credits and vouchers where parents can choose the best school for their children. This will create incentives for entrepreneurs and parents to create high-performing and productive schools.

The free market typically offers money-back guarantees for its products and services. Isn’t there something deeply immoral about the government forcing you to send your children to a failing school? Imagine a school that guaranteed results or gave your money back. It’s time for Tom and Linda to get real about solving our public education problem instead of more empty rhetoric. Stop holding students hostage in failing schools.