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Outrages

  

9486 in the collection  

    Mayor Control = Failing Democracy

    Ohanian Comment: The pity--and the disgrace--is that mainstream media don't acknowledge the link between democracy and the political takeover of the schools. As the writer observes, as cheerleader for the takeover, media is part of the problem.

    The Republican-wing of the Democratic Party cheered with delight as candidate for mayor, Tom Barrett, announced his support of Rep. Shirley Krug's bill calling for the shift of Milwaukee Public Schools control to city hall.

    Bad move, Tom.

    A mayoral takeover of the public schools means nothing more than a change in the political equation. It means that the mayor, working in consort with special interest groups concerned with commerce issues, creates new ideas that are different from those advanced by special interest groups concerned with public education as a vital part of our civic life and democracy.

    In essence, those concerned with the needs of public education stress the need for resources to be spent entirely within the district for the advancement of a democratic and civil society, while those concerned with matters of commerce view change in the context of the needs of the economy rather than the community.

    A fundamental governance change at this point places those who are concerned with the economy in far better position to influence changes in the public schools than those who are concerned with enhancing the systems importance within our democratic society.

    To be sure, the voices of business leaders and civic leaders of commerce will override concerns and demands of parents, teachers unions, and grass roots community leaders.

    The editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel states, "Radical thinking about reversing the dismal results of MPS ought to be encouraged."

    Radical! They mean radical right wing. The editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel states that one of the reasons it can support this wacky initiative is because "low voter turnout means School Board governance isn't the democracy it's cracked up to be. What's more, mayoral takeovers elsewhere seem to be people-pleasers."

    So what the editorial board of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is saying is that the very nature of a democracy and the schooling necessary to preserve it are defined as the chief obstacle to producing competent graduates and a successful school system.

    Placing control of MPS in the hands of the mayor is anti-democratic! Despite reformers claims that parents and community leaders will take part in the improvement of public schools, we in the grass roots know that this is all talk. Parents have neither been the originators of ideas to improve public education nor have they been leading figures in any parts of any critical discussion of ideas to improve public schools; special interest groups -- i.e. the Metro Milwaukee Association of Commerce -- control the debate and more often than not, it has been debate that hurts public education rather than helps it.

    Having marginalized the role of the community and rejecting the democratic process and decision-making is the single most important cause of public school failure.

    The former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Ed Garvey was correct when he wrote on his Web site, fightingbob.com, "Imagine placing the mayor, whose reelection could turn on contributions from the wealthy folks at the Chamber of Commerce and lower property taxes, in charge of schools? Which would come first: children or reelection?"

    The likely outcome from such a proposal is a school system distributing services according to the inner logic of the market in which people get what they pay for. The result, if carried out, will be the further decay of democratic institutions and the disappearance of any effective remedy for class inequality and racial justice.

    --Robert Miranda is a national award winning columnist, Latino community activist and columnist for the Milwaukee Spanish Journal.

    — Robert Miranda
    VIEW FROM LATINO MILWAUKEE: Mayor Control = Failing Democracy
    wisopinion.com
    2003-07-06
    http://wisopinion.com/features/latino/2003/latino0308/f03080601.html

    INDEX OF OUTRAGES

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