The Common Room: School Reform and Self-Perpetuating Institutions

The Headmistress collects arguments against a State presence in the education industry: The Common Room: School Reform and Self-Perpetuating Institutions. The State (government, generally) cannot subsidize education without a definition of "education". This definition then binds students, parents, real classroom teachers, and taxpayers. The State's current operational definition amounts to "attendance at institutions operated by dues-paying members of the NEA/AFT/AFSCME cartel". Since politicians cultivate allies who support their reelection, and since the NEA/AFT/AFSCME cartel wields enormous electoral clout, systemic reform will likely not occur as a result of democratic politics. Against this view: budget considerations may compel reform.

Governments at all levels have made more promises than they can keep. Some sort of default will occur. Either the State (government, generally) defaults openly (e.g., raising the age at which people qualify for Social Security, reducing Medicare coverage) or disguises a default by paying debts in devalued dollars. Given the power of the NEA/AFT/AFSCME cartel, politicians will most likely put the State-subsidized education industry last in line for budget cuts.

Parents need not and should not wait for politicians to empower parents in their education choices. At least here, in Hawaii, parents may homeschool, and they do not need to sacrifice an income to do so. Nothing in the law requires that parents provide instruction between 1800 and 0030 Zulu time (8:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Hawaii time).