Bowen and LePages plans for education (Portland, Hope: home, private schools, college)

[Newdaawn]

If you have access to the Maine Sunday Telegram (newspaper) for 9/02/2012, please read Commissioner Bowen and LePages plans for education in Maine. The article outlines the "for profit" K12 organization that is heavily promoted by Jeb Bush. It is very enlightening and would have students at home on computers, without classrooms, classmates, teachers etc. This is a for "profit" organization but would be paid for by us taxpayers. Avail yourself of this information because this could very well be come a reality in Maine.

[Maine Writer]

Special Report: The profit motive behind virtual schools in Maine | The Portland Press Herald / Maine Sunday Telegram

[Kracer]

The alternative is to continue wasting taxpayer money on an archaic edu system run by unions who diminish the teaching profession by establishing a teacher's value by 'time on the job' rather than preformance.

It is about time alternatives are attempted in a mainstream fashion.

More edu alternatives are needed and the costs balanced against the pervasive attitude that there is an infinite linear relationship between quality edu and money spent.

Good teachers are our most valuable asset and hold the keys to our collective future.

Every business intends to make money, no news there. Successful endeavors should be rewarded especially when your very future is at stake.

Lobbying is legal and most business donates to who ever is in power.

If lobbying is a problem then look toward your elected legislators as they alone have the power to pass legislation. When you attack lobbyists you are really addressing the weak ethical character of the people you chose to represent you and your flawed criteria used to cast that vote.

These edu experiments must make sense and provide for quick shifts in strategy if something is not working. last thing you want is to be stuck in a binding contract where failure is assured.

It is good to know who is behind any business and examine their motives which must be balanced against the quality of their product. If tax dollars could ever be tracked to a final disposition, it would be a good thing and an eye opener. The nations taxpayers demonstrate an infinite tolerance for local, state and federal governments who waste their money and then 'ask' for more.

Hope is Maine will choose wisely with a well defined description of what constitutes success and be flexible enought to cut losses, move in other directions and seek continual improvement rather than maintaing a 19th centruy edu system that characterizes our public K-12 schools nationally.

Good luck Maine!

[bangorme]

Originally Posted by Kracer

The alternative is to continue wasting taxpayer money on an archaic edu system run by unions who diminish the teaching profession by establishing a teacher's value by 'time on the job' rather than preformance.

It is about time alternatives are attempted in a mainstream fashion.

You are right on Kracer. The best answer would be to outlaw public sector unions, except for matters involving discipline. That would put the power back into the hands of those that pay the bills: taxpayers. Until then, our only option is to privatize alternate choices. If those private options were more available, the "public" schools would do what was necessary to compete, or go away.

[Mark S.]

Stuff like this just further convinces me that conservative leadership has sold its soul and has no value other than $$$. From the article:

K12 Inc. of Herndon, Va., and Connections Education, the Baltimore-based subsidiary of education publishing giant Pearson, are both seeking to expand online offerings and to open full-time virtual charter schools in Maine, with taxpayers paying the tuition for the students who use the services.

At stake is the future of thousands of Maine schoolchildren who would enroll in the full-time virtual schools and, if the companies had their way, the future of tens of thousands more who would be legally required to take online courses at their public high schools in order to receive their diplomas.

This whole thing is just a big money grab for these companies to suck up taxpayer dollars to enrich their bottom line -- and they want it engraved by law. There is NOTHING "conservative" about this. This is corporatism at its worst.

I'm all for reforming our education system. But this "cure" is far worse than the sickness.

[LordSquidworth]

Originally Posted by Kracer

The alternative is to continue wasting taxpayer money on an archaic edu system run by unions who diminish the teaching profession by establishing a teacher's value by 'time on the job' rather than preformance.

I'd rather see schools reformed than this at home stuff.

Just like with college courses, it's the lessening of education. You don't get as much out of it, especially children.

More efficient would be to switch to a voucher system (each kids has a voucher with tax dollars attached) and a school has to perform to attract parents attention (also includes cutting lose excessive administration and incompetent teachers.

[Kristin85]

I would be interested to hear if the cost per student via the "virtual" school is significantly less than cost per student in a physical school. This idea really only bothers me if the cost for the at home schooling is equal to or above the cost for physical schooling; if it causes taxes to drop from where they are now then great. (Not likely but maybe possible if the cost is much lower per student and lots of families sign up.) There is nothing essentially wrong with at-home schooling like this since home schooled children turn out fine by being involved in extracurricular activities & programs. I have taken online courses and learned just as much as sitting through lectures. What is wrong is if taxes go up or stay the same (while money is sucked out of the physical school system) to accommodate the K12 Inc. program. On the surface if this doesn't cause taxes to rise, the virtual school seems like a good idea for children living in secluded areas of Maine.

As for the "for profit" part of the equation: with public schools, the unions and teachers and superintendants are profitting. With private or virtual schools, the company is profitting. Neither type of school profitting affects the quality of education. Quality is an independent issue.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by Kristin85

I would be interested to hear if the cost per student via the "virtual" school is significantly less than cost per student in a physical school. This idea really only bothers me if the cost for the at home schooling is equal to or above the cost for physical schooling; if it causes taxes to drop from where they are now then great. (Not likely but maybe possible if the cost is much lower per student and lots of families sign up.) There is nothing essentially wrong with at-home schooling like this since home schooled children turn out fine by being involved in extracurricular activities & programs. I have taken online courses and learned just as much as sitting through lectures. What is wrong is if taxes go up or stay the same (while money is sucked out of the physical school system) to accommodate the K12 Inc. program. On the surface if this doesn't cause taxes to rise, the virtual school seems like a good idea for children living in secluded areas of Maine.

As for the "for profit" part of the equation: with public schools, the unions and teachers and superintendants are profitting. With private or virtual schools, the company is profitting. Neither type of school profitting affects the quality of education. Quality is an independent issue.

There are vo-tech high schools in Maine and a commitment to vocational education for a number of reasons. I don't see virtual schools working for classes that require a hands-on learning environment. Some courses can be taught successfully online IMO. Don't be so quick to underestimate the schools out in the puckies of Maine....I say that affectionately. Some would say the whole state is in secluded areas aka out in the puckies--isn't that what makes Maine so attractive, special, and unique. Many small towns value their local schools and reactions would range from reluctancy to adamantly opposed to be forced to close them. If the state refuses to fund the RSU or AOS, might not have a choice.

[bangorme]

Although I strongly favor a voucher system, a straight cost comparison isn't always possible. For example, if we say that the public school "educates" a child at an AVERAGE cost of $5,000 per year, we are missing something. Special education is a good example. One special ed child can cost over $70,000 a year to support in a public school setting. These kids usually aren't going to the private schools, so their AVERAGE costs are going to be lower than the public schools that have to accept them. The same for "problem" children. Private schools just boot them out, and of course the public systems have to take them. This not only effects costs, but AVERAGE standardized test comparisons.

[Submariner]

No faster method to destroy an industry than to give it to the government to operate.

I am a member of a fraternal organization that long ago had made it a primary focus to make education 'public-funded', to guarantee an education to every citizen. Those were lofty goals. Alas they were misguided.

People from back in that day, surely would be vomiting if they were alive to see what has became of education in America.