I have been following this discussion very closely. I have strong
opinions about public officials and political activists and public
vs. private schools.
Before I begin, let me make some disclosures:
l. I am a life-long Democrat
2. I attended public schools from kindergarten through 12th grade.
3. My parents were children of immigrants. They were strong supporters
of the public school system in our city. They were also highly critical
of the spending policies that came out to the superintendant's
office. (this was in New Jersey and the school administration was highly
politicized and part of the patronage system). My parents monitored the
district's expenditures and challenged questionable items. At the same
time, they were advocates for the school principals and the teachers in my
schools. My mother served for many years as president of our school's
PTA.
4. In 1986, I attempted to register my oldest son in the Minneapolis
Public Schools. There was a so-called lottery system for school
selection. We attended parent information meetings where school personel
explained the so-called lottery system, choice, and the mechanics of
enrolling children. Because of another "policy" called
sibling-preference, the results of the lottery nullified any choice. For
those of you who are not familier with the arcane dialect of schoolspeak,
just bear with me and allow me to stipulate these facts. Of approximately
90 families that chose a particular school (where sibling-preference had
already taken up the incoming spots for the new kindergarten
classes) there was no second or third choice. My son was assigned to a
school that was well-known for low teacher moral, the place to assign
retiring teachers who were waiting to collect their pensions, low test
scores, high percentage of poverty in the student body, and very low
parent participation. I was irate. I felt that I had been lied to and
that the prinicple of "the greatest good for the greatest number" was
being wielded against me because I complained about the inherent
unfairness of the selection process. I was not the only upset
parent. The other 89 families complained as vociferiously as I did and
... voila!!!! ... the school district quickly assembled a new program in
another school. It was presented as a temporary solution without a
promise of resources to make the progam perminent. I felt so betrayed
that I enrolled my son in a private school. When my younger son got ready
to enter school 4 years later, he went to a private school. All the time,
the obligation to pay tuition and the burden of transportation burned
me. Two years later, we visited the new school superindendant and
explained our situation. The discredited superindendant, Ferrara, made a
phone call and ... voila.... there were 2 spots for my kids in the school
not far from our home with the program that we wanted.
I make these disclosures to show that reality is never black and
white. Strong public schools that teach kids are extremely important to
the social and economic well-being of a city. Call it a quality-of-life
issue. To question parents about the quality of their kids' education is
getting kind of personal, isn't it. I'd put it up with how you pray to
God, what type of food you eat with your family, and what are your
aspirations for your kids' futures.
To question RT Rybak and others about why they send their kids to private
schools is not a relevant question. To turn it into a political issue
during a mayoral campaign is unseemly.
Is this question a litmus test? If it is, then I, for one, will
disassociate myself from the political party that demands it.
Many political icons in Minnesota sent their kids to private
schools. When asked why his children don't attend the Washington
D.C. schools, Don Frazer answered that it was his children that he was
concerned about. The list is long and you can fill in your own
preference.
Can the schools be fixed and be made stronger? Of course. But if there
are fundamental problems that , as a parent, you see as major impediment,
then it is your responsability to explore other options. This is not a
class or race issue. It is a parent issue.
If you want to make this issue of public vs. private schools relevent,
then you have to talk about reforms and changes. Don't blame parents.
I love reading all the self-righteous political speech about how as
citizens it is our responsability to support the public schools. If you
are not a parent and you condemn parents for making choices, I think you
are somewhat presumptious.
Minneapolis is such a liberal, open city. This is the
ideology. Government is much more receptive than, say, New Jersey. But
schools are schools. Ask any parent what they want for their kids and the
answers would include: quality education, committed teachers, diversity,
and, most importantly, consistentcy. Will the school ciriculum be there
in the future, will the schools start and end at times that accommidate
most families, will the schools be safe. I submit that Minneapolis should
get a B or a B- in this regard. But this is something that we can fix.
I don't care where RT's kids go to school. I do care about his views on
how to keep the Minneapolis schools strong and viable institutions.
To conclude, I would like to see this discussion confront the issue of the
"ideal" and the "real." We can argue over philosophical goals (and I
think this is extremely important), and then use this against people when
they raise issues in the areas of policy implementation and daily
life. It is so unfair to do this. Listen more to what people are truly
saying and don't respond with slogans and tansparent political platitudes.
David Wilson
Loring Park
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