School support does not equal more spending

The State has taken Gov. Mark Sanford to task lately on his proposals to reform education. For example, Nina Brook recently wrote column titled, “Gov. Sanford doesn’t have trust of public education supporters.” That blanket statement is unfortunate and unfair.

First, we should be clear about why the governor is proposing ideas such as school choice. For every statistic that says our schools are making unprecedented progress, there is another that shows a true crisis. While some progress has been made because of reform efforts such as accountability and higher standards that were put into place in the ’90s, it has simply not been enough. That may be uncomfortable to hear for some folks who do not believe we should ever criticize anything when it comes to education.

While progress should be applauded, we should always quickly turn our attention back to the children who are not making the headlines, but who are instead unable to read or graduate from high school. And there are far too many children who fit into those categories.

The governor is not being negative about parents, teachers and children in our state, but he is right to be concerned about the fact that one-third of our eighth-graders cannot read or perform math problems at a basic level, much less a proficient level. The governor would be derelict in his duty if he did nothing but focus on small achievement gains and ignored the fact that half of our children are not graduating from high school in four years.

Some education officials would have us ignore those numbers, bury our heads in the sand and pretend that if only we had more money to spend, none of those horrible statistics would be real. But if we ignore those numbers, we ignore those children.

There is no way to propose solutions if we are not honest about where we are in terms of real, measurable progress. And while there has been some progress, we should not be resting on our laurels, nor should our policy-makers stay silent out of fear of being branded “anti-education.”

Fortunately, Gov. Sanford and many other courageous members of the General Assembly are willing to focus the education priorities on what is best for South Carolina’s students, and not dwell on the concerns of special interests that feed on public education. Reform advocates believe that parents should have more control of their children’s education regardless of ZIP code or income level. That does not make them anti-education.

The fact is the majority of South Carolinians believe in expanded school choice, and they elected Mark Sanford in some part because he promised to work toward that.

In addition, it makes no sense for Ms. Brook to assert that school choice will not help children who go to school sick or whose parents pay for their drinking parties. The school system is not designed to teach parents — it is supposed to teach children. And if a school continues to fail to do the job it exists to do, then parents should have some options.

In states all over the country, different plans are in place to allow parents to transfer their children out of failing schools and send them to other schools. Milwaukee has one of the most successful plans in the nation, and includes both public and private schools as options. Maine and Vermont, both largely rural states, have had similar plans in place for more than 100 years.

Florida’s plan has caused failing schools to raise the bar and perform at higher levels. And in no instance has school choice bankrupted the public schools or caused mass chaos of the sort opponents threaten. There is not one example of a state that has experienced a breakdown in public schools because parents were able to take their children out of failing institutions and send them somewhere else.

As our state’s leaders gear up to discuss different ideas to create more educational choice, one thing needs to be emphasized — school choice is not about opposing public education. School choice is about supporting children. The governor should be applauded for his courage and determination to create policy initiatives that do just that. There is nothing more commendable in a leader than admitting we have problems and providing innovative ways to fix them.

Mr. McMullen is president of the South Carolina Policy Council Education Foundation. That Web site is www.scpolicycouncil.com.