More On Education Problems

There is a good article in the Detroit Free Press discussing the problems with Detroits public education. Main points follow,

The issue isn't money. The district is spending more than $13,000 per pupil this year -- a large sum even for a big district.

Despite the schools' dream-crushing performance, the big question before voters in November is whether Detroit should return to an elected school board instead of the current appointed one. That is the wrong question.

The Detroit's system isn't floundering because of the way school board members are chosen. It's doing so because it can. It has a monopoly on the provision of Detroit's public education.

If you're fed up with your local public school, what choice do you have? Charter schools? They currently serve only an eighth of Detroit's total student population, and no matter how the school board is selected, it isn't likely to invite new competitors onto its own turf. Private schools? Not so easy if you don't have the money.

Detroit families will have better-managed, more effective schools when they have real choice, and when all schools have to compete with one another to serve their kids.

Lots of folks like to gripe about Microsoft because the courts say it has a monopoly. But nobody is forced to buy Microsoft products. It actually has competitors. And if you decide that one of those competing products would better serve your needs, guess what? You don't have to pay Microsoft a dime.

Will we ever be able to say the same thing about our education monopoly?


I couldn't have said it better myself.

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