The National Education Association’s assembly has passed two startling resolutions, to push the union’s ideology of racial justice and equity, anti-capitalism, and white oppression into the public school classroom. The “remedy” of concerned citizens regaining control of curriculums only rarely succeeds. A better solution: let objecting parents send their children to independent schools, taking a large fraction of their public school equalized per pupil cost of education with them.
“What parents are awakening to is that their children are being told the lie that America has made little or no racial progress and therefore its legal, economic and political systems must be turned upside down…”
John McClaughry (quoting Wall Street Journal)
There was a time, fifty years ago, when many teachers, superintendents, and academics belonged to their professional group, founded as the Vermont Teachers Association in 1850. For many years public school teachers – mostly women – usually had the respect of the community but barely enough salary to pay their bills. So in 1969 education activists persuaded a Republican legislature and governor to enact a collective bargaining law. In 1979 the rechristened Vermont-National Education Association emerged as a labor union of predominantly teachers and school support staff members bargaining with local school districts for better salaries and benefits, which admittedly were overdue, and beneficial to the state as a whole.
Today, the democratically-governed VT-NEA labor union represents over 12,000 members organized in almost all local school districts. It can fairly claim to be a leading advocate for the education of Vermont’s children.
Given that, and at the risk of oversimplification, the union’s traditional agenda can be summarized as a) compulsory membership, b) more teachers in smaller classes, c) higher pay, d) more generous benefits, e) more workplace control, f) resisting independent accountability for results, g) restricting parental choice, and h) suppressing competition from (non-unionized) independent schools. (State law does not allow compulsory membership, and since 2018 a U.S. Supreme Court case has prohibited “agency fee” assessments on teachers who decline to join the union.)
Understandably, teachers’ unions have worked for years to shape education policy by controlling state legislatures. That’s notably true in Vermont, where the VT-NEA essentially owns the Democratic Party on matters of interest to the union. It has also enlisted the support of a wide range of organizations by supporting progressive causes, like private sector unionization, battling against climate change, expanding gun control, and adopting single payer health care (for everybody else).
One may disagree with the union’s positions, but it has every right to work to advance the interests of its members. But here’s the startling news, reported in a July 8 Wall Street Journal editorial (“The Teachers Unions Go Woke”). Says the editorial, “the national teachers unions are adopting woke values and pressing them into K-12 curriculums across the U.S.”
As an example, “the NEA held its annual meeting last week and the measures approved by delegates deserve broader attention. One calls for the union to support and lead campaigns that ‘result in increasing the implementation of culturally responsive education, critical race theory and ethnic (Native people, Asian, Black, Latin (o/a/x), Middle Eastern, North African, and Pacific Islander) Studies curriculum in pre-K-12 and higher education.’ …[This ideology] teaches that a person is defined above all else by race, gender and sexual orientation, and that American institutions are designed to ensure white supremacy and ‘the patriarchy’”.
“Another delegate-approved measure calls for the union to issue a study criticizing ‘empire, white supremacy, anti-blackness, anti-Indigeneity, racism, patriarchy, cisheteropatriarchy (!), capitalism, ableism, anthropocentrism, and other forms of power and oppression at the intersections of our society.’”
The Journal concludes that “No one is opposed to teaching about America’s difficult racial history, including the evils of slavery and Jim Crow. What parents are awakening to is that their children are being told the lie that America has made little or no racial progress and therefore its legal, economic and political systems must be turned upside down…Parents have a every right, even a duty, to fight back against this invasion of progressive politics in their schools.”
I daresay that many of VT-NEA’s teacher members are not supportive of their national union’s march down this ideological path. But where it does appear in our public schools, what is the remedy for parents and citizens who disagree?
“Fighting back” to recapture the public school curriculum is an exhausting process, largely dependent on overmatched citizen volunteers. A better remedy is for the legislature to give parents who don’t want their children fed such ideology in their classrooms the right to choose other avenues for their children’s education, taking with them a sizable portion of the equalized per pupil cost of education in the local public school system.
Independent schools that offer a more balanced curriculum, including curricula built upon moral and religious values, will attract empowered parents and children. Public schools that lose pupils because of radical indoctrination will seek to regain their market share (and lost union dues) by making their offerings more appealing.
Some activists, committed to a government-enforced public school monopoly and infused with the new radicalism promoted by the NEA, will find this a terrifying prospect. As for others – teachers, parents and citizens who seek to preserve what is good about America and essential for the success of its young people – what’s not to like?
John McClaughry is vice president of the Ethan Allen Institute. Photo screenshot from NEK-TV video July 9 FAIR-OCSU Town Hall informational meeting in Orleans.
Categories: Commentary
In Essex alone, there have been two separate petitions to “support public schools”; petitions worded innocuously to hide the true intent: a refusal to allow EVERY parent the ability to choose the school best suited for their children.
If the product of the public schools is so wonderful, then people will naturally choose it. In Sweden, the country opened up school choice for every family in 1992. Twenty years later, only 12-14% of students attend private schools.
Vermont’s fear of allowing school choice in every town only means one thing: they know parents will choose to go elsewhere because the focus is no longer on academic excellence and merit based achievement for every student.
If the public schools would like to focus on creating social justice warriors, then let them. However, it needs to be recognized as what it is: an ideology and belief. As soon as ideologies are introduced into curricula, then school choice is necessary.
WELLYES!!!! …what you said.
I do not, nor have I ever had children. I am therefor hesitant to enter this fray, but, I am glad to see parents finally paying attention to the crapulosity being foisted upon their children in the guise of a enlightened education. It’s to bad that it seems to have taken a pandemic that kept the children, and their parents at home together, so that their parents could witness the indoctrination of their children into the world of the people they have trusted to educate their children without political or personal bias. I was in the public school system during the 60s and early 70s, and even then the liberal slant was present. I can remember as a youngster being interested in hunting, and firearms I was exposed to a teacher, or two who to say the least, were not supportive of my interests. I also had a few Social Studies/History, teachers that actually explained the 2nd Amendment, and why it was, is, and will forever be important for American society to be able to defend it’s self from a tyrannical government as well as criminal intent. Contrary to what Slow Joe Biden stated in his first address to Congress, (What, do you think deer wear kevlar vests?” J.B.) it’s not about deer hunting. I just have to say that anybody that did not see this woke, CRT crap coming down the pike over the last few years must have been living under a rock. It’s just to bad that it took a pandemic to realize that their children’s education was being hyjacked by political extremists.
Nicely put Patrick – thank you
Stopping the money flow into the VT School system from your taxes would drain the Left, Marxist’s of their power. That would be hard to implement and they know it. Instead, take your kids out of the corrupt, evil, Marxist brainwashing system all together. It would be just as effective, if not even better, as parents can enroll them in private schools, Christian Schools, home school. Parents dictate how to raise their children not the State or the Teachers or any Unions. Teachers’ jobs are to teach English, Math and REAL U.S. History as well as world geography.
Liberty is from God not men.
Agree totally saltlightfaith – think about it – this group strategically infiltrated the public school system so they got their buildings for nothing – their materials for nothing – a free flow of funds from taxpayers with their heads in the sand (or just maybe school budgets passed fraudulently as well) so now they have their claws embedded flying their terrorist flags in our faces. Pretty smooth don’t you think and they hold good teachers captive under penalty of being fired if they don’t preach the Marxist gospel. WOW – because had they tried to build (or lease) their own facilities, pay for their own materials, rally and pay for their human resources THEN advertise what their selling – are we getting the picture here – we have all been taken over the barrel again by a government uncover political activist group – on their own I bet they wouldn’t have gotten off the ground.
Thank you — again. Very clearly put. We could enter an endless debate about what goes on in public schools. At issue is being captives…not being able to opt out. Shouldn’t citizens citizens be freed to take our resources and go elsewhere. The money should follow the kid.
Re: “The ‘remedy’ of concerned citizens regaining control of curriculums only rarely succeeds. A better solution: let objecting parents send their children to independent schools, taking a large fraction of their public school equalized per pupil cost of education with them.”
It’s called School Choice. And parents with children in grades 7 thru 12 already have the option to request that their school district provide a tuition voucher, equaling the Agency of Education’s ‘announced annual tuition’, to pay the independent school fees – including independent religious school fees.
For example, “The 2020-2021 Average Announced Tuition of Union 7th-12th Grade Schools is $16,233.00.”
https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-fy2021-final-announced-tuition-report-print-version.pdf
And the authorization for the tuition payment rests solely with your local school board.
16 V.S.A. § 822 – School district to maintain public high schools or pay tuition
(c)(1) A school district may both maintain a high school and furnish high school education by paying tuition:
(A) to a public school as in the judgment of the school board may best serve the interests of the students; or
(B) to an approved independent school or an independent school meeting education quality standards if the school board judges that a student has unique educational needs that cannot be served within the district or at a nearby public school.
(2) The judgment of the board shall be final in regard to the institution the students may attend at public cost.
https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/16/021/00822
Re: “The ‘remedy’ of concerned citizens regaining control of curriculums only rarely succeeds. A better solution: let objecting parents send their children to independent schools, taking a large fraction of their public school equalized per pupil cost of education with them.”
It’s called School Choice. And parents with children in grades 7 thru 12 already have the option to request that their school district provide a tuition voucher, equaling the Agency of Education’s ‘announced annual tuition’, to pay the independent school fees – including independent religious school fees.
For example, “The 2020-2021 Average Announced Tuition of Union 7th-12th Grade Schools is $16,233.00.”
https://education.vermont.gov/sites/aoe/files/documents/edu-fy2021-final-announced-tuition-report-print-version.pdf
And the authorization for the tuition payment rests solely with your local school board.
16 V.S.A. § 822 – School district to maintain public high schools or pay tuition
(c)(1) A school district may both maintain a high school and furnish high school education by paying tuition:
(A) to a public school as in the judgment of the school board may best serve the interests of the students; or
(B) to an approved independent school or an independent school meeting education quality standards if the school board judges that a student has unique educational needs that cannot be served within the district or at a nearby public school.
(2) The judgment of the board shall be final in regard to the institution the students may attend at public cost.
https://legislature.vermont.gov/statutes/section/16/021/00822
And, as expensive at the voucher may seem, it’s 30% less than the $22,000 plus per student my district spends today. I sure would like to see my property taxes decline 30%.
Time for a pubic school “forensic” audit invoices and all – every one of them – 22K per student tops the cake – sure high end private schools (boarding mainly) get paid for their name and people pay it, but the schools like government needs an overhaul BY THE PEOPLE – 90% reduction, take back our buildings, take back our inventory, monitor hiring with background checks (thorough) of qualified traditional educators with no agenda’s and protect our kids from these grooming predators! God help us on this one –
Another frightening factor is the agendasthat aren’t stated: Tear down everything and turn Left-fascist.