Cloaking Inequity: Parent Trigger Testimony: A One-Way Street to Private Control #SB14
A few thousand parents could move $300 million in property resources out of the public space! Thus, Parent Trigger as written in SB14 is a one-way easy street.
My understanding from attorneys that I have talked to today is that it’s a grey area whether Texas could get the buildings back. Specifically, related issues have been litigated in Ohio and elsewhere.
Parent Revolution likes to talk about California. Turns out Californians don’t like the idea of giving away their schools for free. Parent Trigger has been boondoggle in terms of implementation and student achievement in California. Californians have realized parents trigger sounds good in theory, but in practice has been a failure. It’s a California export best left on the shelf.
Furthermore, the bill is flawed, as parents should have the option to cancel the contract and return to public management if they so choose. We know from the research literature that more than 80% of charters perform no better than traditional public schools.
Parent Trigger shouldn’t be a one-way street. Families should also be able to make the choice to leave private control and return to public control if they are underwhelmed by the undemocratic, non-local, control of their school.
I responded to a few questions from the Public Education Committee members after the testimony. In my response to the question from Rep. Allen, I mentioned a poll of voters and parents conducted by In the Public Interest. See a quick breakdown of the In the Public Interest survey of voters in the post School (False) Choice Sunday. (I promise it’s worth the click)
I did forget to mention in my testimony that one of the items prioritized by parents is more funding for schools at #3. You see the full parent choice poll at In the Public Interest.
I also mentioned that California is planning to spend $3,000 more per pupil in the fall from their billions in surplus. That should take the Golden State from 50th to about the national average.
In conclusion, currently Parent Trigger as formulated in SB14 and elsewhere is a bad idea for families and kids. It is a one-way street to private control. As I mentioned in my testimony, the recourse of parents is more limited under private control than democratic control.
I do have a new idea for parent trigger that would empower parents and communities. Stay tuned.
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