Many champions of privatization are skilled usurpers of public desires and opinions, often latching on to popular lingo in an effort to push unpopular ideological agendas. Barke appears to fit this mold perfectly. Especially when it comes to her fervent endorsement of profit-driven charter schools.
There’s no doubt that educational reform is overdue. And this tends to be a pivotal premise of charter school arguments. However, most charter school defenders fail to acknowledge that presenting the argument as a battle between public schools or charter schools presents a false dilemma. That, because educational reform is necessary, it’s somehow related to the public nature of education rather than the institutional and structural shortcomings of liberal societies. Thus, according to advocates, privately owned charter schools are the answer to the very problems we all acknowledge. However, arguments of the sort dishonestly divert the focus from profit-seeking motives.
Furthermore, in U.S. society, an unquestioned assumption of the inadequacy of public institutions is very much alive. The notion is perpetuated by profit-seeking individuals and institutions, pursuing novel paths to wealth attainment. It’s often claimed that privatization (a superman of sorts) will save society from the wastefulness and bureaucracy associated with publicly owned institutions. Unsurprisingly, there’s no evidence that private institutions are inherently competent in comparison to their public counterparts. But many of us simply accept this edict, primarily to the benefit of those with the prospect of financial gain. Defenders of charter schools have deceptively seized the opportunity to take advantage of this phenomenon.
Charter schools may have some positive implications, but there’s always a trade-off when profit is involved. Since profit is the priority of private business, we must think critically about what our youth will gain from an environment dedicated to appeasing shareholders. We must not let ourselves be duped into believing that charter schools will save the U.S. educational system. Because the bottom line is this: any imagined good associated with charter schools can absolutely be achieved through public education. Proponents of charter schools conveniently ignore this truth.
To be sure, Barke has a dog in the fight. Not only does her charter school agenda promote the privatization of education, but her husband is on the board of directors of an Orange County charter school. Profit-driven motives at the expense of our youth is morally reprehensible and appalling. We should hold our representatives to higher standards. If we, as a community, fight just as hard for educational reform as the profit-seekers do for their agendas, then we can achieve positive results within public education that serve the needs of our youth. We don’t need profit-driven politicians making decisions that impact our youth; it’s unhealthy for our community and society.
John C. Duff
Los Alamitos
