June 14, 2013 Radio Commentary

Destroying Local Control

Radio Commentary, 90.7, 91.7 New Life FM, June 14, 2013 – By Sue Ella Deadwyler

Good morning, Jim.  They’ve been working on it for a very long time and the demise of local control over education is almost gone.  I knew we were in trouble when education elitists said “local school boards are dysfunctional,” probably because they are elected and hard to control.  As the “dysfunctional” label took root in Georgia, efforts were made to appoint members of local school boards, but that failed, as did efforts to appoint the state school superintendent.

However, the 14-member (one from each congressional district) State Board of Education is appointed by the governor and confirmed by the State Senate for seven-year terms.  Meaning, voters don’t elect them and voters can’t replace them.

While thinking about that, consider this.  By a margin of 14 to one, the appointed State Board of Education that makes education policy out-numbers the elected state school superintendent, who presides over State School Board meetings.  So, the one voice elected by voters is out-numbered by 14 voices appointed by the governor.  But, since the governor is elected as well, the actual ratio of elected voices to appointed voices is 14 to two.  That means the greatest influence over education in Georgia is not voters!  It’s the governor!

The State Constitution authorizes locally elected boards of education to manage and control schools and voters are constitutionally authorized to elect and replace local members.  But two decades ago, Georgia adopted the Next Generation School (NGS) project to transfer control of education from the local level to state and federal levels and, also, give teachers and staff control over schools, a direct contradiction to the State Constitution.With the advent of NGS, locally elected boards of education had to allow “duly appointed mediation and arbitration panels” to take much of their authority.  Local boards don’t decide field trip requests, student transfers or challenges to library books.  They don’t decide school calendar changes, bus routes and athletic programs since NGS policy directs local boards to be free “to address the global issues which are more worthy of their time.”  So says NGS!

Another fact important to the issue of education is the NGS-mandated 350 hours of indoctrination before an applicant is considered worthy to be hired as a local school superintendent.  Such indoctrination requires 50 hours of instruction in practical administration and up to 300 hours of leadership training, including five advanced seminars.  The seminar entitled “Values, Beliefs and Attitudes – Philosophical and Cultural” is noteworthy, since the mandatory outcome-based education (OBE) curriculum specifies what “students should know, do and be like.”  No doubt, the 350-hour-training is expected to instill in local superintendents the desired philosophy and strategy they must use to produce “right-minded” students.

Conclusion:  These changes destroyed local control, drastically minimized parental influence and lowered educational standards.  Result: Global citizenship and group learning/dependence are exalted above student individuality, academic excellence and national heritage.  While locally elected boards of education managed and controlled schools in each district, high school graduates retained their individuality; could read, write and do math; were proud to be Americans; knew right from wrong; and could think for themselves.  And, oh, yeah! They received a far better education than they get today!  For Georgia Insight I’m Sue Ella Deadwyler, your Capitol correspondent.