Plan B

Photo from here:

Retirement Plan "B".



The following was sent along by my colleague Kevin:

Superintendent Bennett:

In reference to the article below, “State Earns “A” on Advanced Placement Exams,” and in light of other factual data on the true performance of Indiana public schools, how can you and Governor Daniels, in good conscience, take the positions you hold on the performance of Indiana public schools?

In my 31 year career, I have taught or administrated in private/parochial schools in Detroit, Michigan and South Bend, in three nationally recognized high schools (SB St. Joseph’s HS, Penn High School, Valparaiso High School), and in three urban schools (Elkhart Memorial HS, East Chicago Central High School, and Highland High School). I earned abachelors’ degree in Economics from Kalamazoo College (a highly regarded liberal arts college in Michigan), a Masters Degree from the University of Notre Dame’s Graduate School of Business, and I am within weeks of defending my doctoral dissertation to earn a Ph.D. in Education Leadership from Western Michigan University. I was recognized as the IASP District 1 High School Principal of the Year in 2007. I am a graduate of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education’s Principal’s Center. I tell you this not to brag about myself (because if you met me, you’d see that I am a humble man…my students and staff would confirm that perception, I believe) but to establish my credibility as a successful lifelong educator with a diverse background of experience who has invested heavily, both personally and professionally, in my chosen vocation not for selfish, financial gain (as our governor might lead the public to believe) but for the improvement of educational opportunity for the full spectrum of students.

I believe that my diverse experience affords me a unique perspective. I can make this statement with the wisdom and knowledge gained from my years of experience has afforded me: You cannot blame schools for the ills of society; nor can you expect schools to fix society’s ills. By privatizing public education, you will only exacerbate the division between the society’s educational haves and have-nots. You will succeed in totally decimating communities that are already left behind as wreckage churning in the wake of the exit of private industry and business, who abandoned ship when it no longer was profitable to operate in those settings (witness South Bend, Elkhart, and East Chicago). If you’ve taken the time to read Diane Ravitch’s latest book, you’ve been exposed to the counter-arguments to your position. How can for-profit educational ventures be expected to act any differently? As rational human beings, conventional economic theory will tell you that these business concerns will eventually make the same decisions. At that point, the public schools, which are the sole, remaining anchor of many of these communities, will surely stand as hollow and tragic ghosts of the past, just as the vacant steel mills and factories do in so many communities across this state. At that point, children and communities will truly be left behind. Vouchers will see to this.

Face the facts: Both the governor and you have obvious conflicts of interest tied up the privatization of public education. Whether you choose to acknowledge it or not, it is a widely-known fact. The tragedy of your agenda will play out long after you are gone. How you sleep at night, I do not know.

To quote a famous biblical figure, “You know not what you do.” In my opinion, you have betrayed the public trust.

I don’t expect that my comments will change your minds or agendas. I do, however, hope we still retain the liberty of holding and voicing our personal opinions and dissent without fear of reprisal. This is the climate you have created.

Sincerely,

Patrick D. Weil

Patrick D. Weil
Principal
Highland High School

As Mr. Weil has so eloquently stated, we're doing a pretty fair job educating the masses right now. Dismantling the system is not the solution. It'll be interesting to see what they have in store for us after this. I'm thinking insurance and pension plan are the real target. I see dark clouds forming on the horizon.

There's always Plan B, I guess.