By Stu Lindberg
In the 2011 book “Upheaval,” Lou Dobbs states that “90 percent of funding for public education comes from local property taxes and state taxes. Yet, 90 percent of decision making about how that money is spent and how our children are educated comes from the federal government via the U.S. Department of Education.” In fact, the U.S. Department of Education will expropriate $77 billion dollars from the U.S. taxpayer this year.
It is also a fact that many of our federally elected officials refuse to send their own children to public schools. Some 41 percent of the members of the U.S. House and 46 percent of U.S. senators send their children to private schools. 56 percent of U.S. Senate Education and Labor Committee members send their children to private schools. Just as disturbing is the fact that 22 percent of public school teachers send their children to private schools. This is twice the national average for the general public.
Arne Duncan, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, enthusiastically promoted the Common Core curriculum as the great panacea for all things wrong with public education. Yet, as reported in the media, “Mr. Duncan chooses to send his children to the University of Chicago Lab School, arguably the most elite private school in Chicago — and certainly the most expensive.” Duncan’s children are not subjected to the Common Core curriculum that he so aggressively promotes for our children.
In Vermont, many of our elected state representatives and senators also choose to send their children to private schools. Ironically, they also vote to deny school choice to their taxpaying constituents.
A full view of this hypocrisy as demonstrated by one Vermont legislator can be found in this YouTube video:
Stu Lindberg writes occasional commentary for True North Reports. He lives in Cavendish, Vermont.
Simply put we need to implement a system of school choice. That means we need to elect representatives that will do it.
The ability to utilize private schooling is probably a desire of nearly all parents but financials disallow such a choice. The political/bureaucratic elite, including teachers (via their Unions), have a higher participation rate because they enjoy a superior financial position due to their ability to manipulate their own salaries & perks without regard to market constraints.
This reminds me of the old saw, do as I say, not as I do. I guess she knows better, I guess.
Of course they don’t send their kids to have their ability to think amputated by common core. They know better. Too bad they don’t care about the rest of the kids.
Surprise, surprise! We have had on occasion people elected to the school board that their children went to private schools. They didn’t seem to see the disconnect.
Correction: Groton School is in Groton, MASSACHUSETTS,
not in Connecticut.
Still, the hypocricy is mind-blowing.