Education system needs proper repair

We take great pride in being problem solvers. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Trying to fix education with piecemeal solutions is a tactic that doesn't, and splitting school districts is just another fix du jour.

School choice, vouchers, tuition tax credits, more money or charter schools may each be good, but all are piecemeal fixes that are symptomatic of the frustration parents and taxpayers have over our faltering schools. They see their children being shortchanged with their education but can't find anyone to listen to them or to respond to their complaints. And, when they do speak out, they are labeled as troublemakers. They need not feel picked on, however, because even lawmakers are ignored. They, too, are treated by some education bureaucrats as parents who go before school boards to express their concerns in three-minute "sound bites," given a condescending, "Thank you," and life goes on.

As the pressure grows on parents to help their children get the necessary education, so grows the frustration in communities across the country. Groups become polarized and argue over each other's pet solutions. Now, we find citizens arguing over the latest fix, splitting school districts, but for what purpose? Is it to save money for one group that "got theirs while the getting was good" and now wants to let others fend for themselves? Is the end product to have more local control? And, if districts did split into smaller parts, would parents have greater control? Is that really the problem, or is it that we haven't taken the time to understand what it is we are trying to accomplish? If tomorrow, local governments and school boards allowed citizens to vote on splitting districts, and the vote was to do so, would that solve the problem?

Before wasting time debating another piecemeal solution, it would do well for citizens and policymakers to ask the following questions: What should be the purpose of education in today's constantly changing world? What are the problems/barriers we face in achieving that purpose in the current environment, not yesterday's? And what solutions do we have to renew our education and training systems to carry out our stated purpose? To do otherwise is to come up with solutions for a previous era. In today's global economy, our students must be prepared with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully compete in the world marketplace — including creativity and innovation.