From The Freeman:
As a proud public school parent, I stand with the current students of the district and for decades to come in supporting this year’s school bond proposals. While it may be momentarily cathartic to exact my revenge for past indiscretions on the district’s current staff and board, generations of kids will suffer if I unproductively vent my anger. School leaders who have so disappointed me and thousands of other parents will be long gone when the benefits of these bonds are fully realized.
~ Jason Sabo, lobbyist
In the interest of full disclosure, my wife is head of an innovative private start-up school in Austin. My son is a student there, along with six other great kids. Last week we celebrated the school’s first anniversary. My wife was glad to break even. Maybe next year she’ll be able to pay herself a small salary. But she isn’t really in it for the money.
In our city, however, voters just approved two bonds for the government schools totaling $489.7 million. Yet despite having to compete with “free,” and being forced to subsidize her competition, my wife goes on. You see, she is a true believer—in her educational philosophy, in her school community, and in our son.
Perhaps you can imagine our consternation when we saw this:
We have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents or kids belong to their families and recognize that kids belong to whole communities.
Those are the words of Melissa Harris-Perry, a Tulane professor of political science and television personality, speaking in a controversial MSNBC spot.
