Parents across the country say public education “experts” have slaughtered an entire generation of children with heavy-handed and politically charged policies during the coronavirus era, Harvard and Stanford University researchers say. This time, I confirmed what I had known for a long time. But rather than asking for forgiveness and reconciliation, these very “experts” are doubling down.
Many public schools have changed their K-12 curriculum based on Marxist tenets rooted in critical race theory, but a young woman was injured by a transgender male high school athlete. The story is now common. Some public school districts are finding themselves in hot water, joining a wave of lawsuits against social media companies and their insidious algorithms, while ignoring their own contribution to the nation's youth mental health crisis.
In 2014, during the presidential campaign, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was harshly criticized for saying that school choice was “the most pressing civil rights issue of the 21st century.” The senator was absolutely right, but ten years later, only nine states have adopted policies establishing universal educational freedom.To make matters worse, elected Republicans To increase Financing a broken public education system that is openly hostile to conservative families.
In just a few weeks, the Republican-led House passed a $1.2 trillion funding package that allocated nearly all the money. 80 billion dollars To the left-wing Ministry of Education. Conservative parents may wonder whether elected Republicans, many of whom send their children to private schools, really have their best interests at heart.
Pennsylvania: A study of bipartisan failure.
Despite the federal government's mind-boggling spending on public education, more than 90 percent of K-12 costs are covered by state and local taxes. In Pennsylvania, for example, Governor Josh Shapiro recently touted a $1 billion increase in K-12 education spending, bringing total annual public education spending to a whopping $19.1 billion, or 44% of the state's total budget. did. For reference, Pennsylvania's education spending in 2019 was about half that, at $9.6 billion.
It's easy to blame Democrats for this stunning display of fiscal irresponsibility, but for most of that time, Republicans have controlled the Pennsylvania Legislature. One might hope that this waste would lead to significantly higher pay and higher job satisfaction for teachers who work hard to educate the next generation. But that's not the case. Four years and billions of dollars later, Pennsylvania has lost nearly 10,000 teachers in 2023 alone.
So even though funding has doubled in recent years, Pennsylvania's teachers are in dire straits and are retiring in droves. What about the kids? One might expect that Pennsylvania's public schools would be thriving as a result of the billions in extra money flowing into them, but that's not the case. Indeed, Pennsylvania's children are still struggling to recover from the tremendous harm caused by the state's enforcement of illegal policies.
Pennsylvania families are also fighting a cultural battle affecting schools across the country. For example, in late 2022, the Central Bucks School District was the subject of a complaint from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) alleging that certain district policies and practices are hostile to LGBT students. After the district spent more than $1 million on an investigation, the superintendent was forced to resign, and Democrats regained control of the school board in the next election. Just to be clear, the district's newly elected school board president was sworn in with a stack of controversial LGBT books in hand. At least one thing is clear: the left has mastered legal battles at every level.
Compare that episode to my experience in the nearby Unionville-Chadds Ford School District. I have spent the past three years holding local school officials accountable for their misconduct during the coronavirus pandemic. But since there is no ACLU equivalent to conservative families, the district has so far completely ignored my public appeals. At the same time, parents and teachers in my district are left to grapple with the destruction caused by these systemic failures.
Meanwhile, Republican politicians are nowhere to be seen in the Commonwealth. Sure, the chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee bemoans the governor's out-of-control spending, but a quick read of his list of complaints shows he's good at criticism and short on solutions. I understand. Republican officials in Pennsylvania stand by conservative voters when needed, but they continue to agitate a public education system that is antithetical to the primacy of parental rights.
School choice is a fundamental right
in Meyer v. State of Nebraska, the Supreme Court held that parents have a fundamental right to “control their own education.” A few years later, Pierce vs. Sisters Association, the court recognized that the government may not unreasonably interfere with a parent's freedom to direct the care and education of their child. Nevertheless, a century later, the state has much more control over the destinies of our children than anyone expected.
Parental support for school choice, which mirrors overwhelming support for congressional term limits, appears to be suffering the same fate. Governor Shapiro campaigned for expanded school choice, but he abandoned that promise as soon as he was elected. So Pennsylvanians are left with the status quo. Teachers and parents are not happy, and children are falling behind. Still, the machinery of public education continues to move forward.
Since 2000, Pennsylvania's public school administrator class has grown by nearly 40 percent, and Pennsylvania's top 10 superintendents now earn well over $250,000 a year. However, the average starting salary for teachers remains below $60,000 in most of the state. This system doesn't work for anyone but the people who decide how to control the flow of Pennsylvania's $20 billion education budget.
What is happening in Pennsylvania is a perfect example of the extent to which Republican officials have betrayed conservative families, the very people they are supposed to represent. In an election year, it's natural for voters to take a closer look at the people they're seeking support from. The data is in, and the harm to children caused by disastrous policy decisions during the pandemic is undeniable. So what should parents do about it?
While much of the blame rightfully lies at the feet of Democratic politicians and their powerful union leaders, perhaps it is time to look to elected Republicans. Instead of holding “experts” accountable and demanding inclusive school choice as a form of reconciliation, Republicans have undoubtedly harmed children and intentionally weakened still-conservative families. It rewards public education institutions that actively pursue policies that make the world a better place.
It's time for Republican officials to step up for these families. If they don't, perhaps it's time for the family to stop supporting Republican politicians.
Chad Williams is a husband, father, and attorney who lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania.