Improving our education system

Nevertheless, one has to ask the question, "When are we going to run out of money again?" Government mandates, energy costs, insurance costs, etc. all keep rising unabated. For those school districts located in revenue rich areas like the collar counties around Chicago, these costs can be absorbed. But for most school districts, financial pressures will never go away. Illinois distributes property tax revenues back to the schools in which the revenue was paid rather than redistributing the revenue on a per pupil basis to each school. This means schools in low property value areas will continue to get poorer and those in a growing area will get richer.

Many of the voters I talked to said they voted for the referendum because they felt the school was going to get the money one way or another and it was cheaper to fund education through property tax rather than having to borrow money and pay interest. That is not exactly a ringing endorsement for the tax referendum and indicates a "we can pay them now or pay them later" mentality.

So while the tax referendum has passed there is a lot of frustration on the part of property owners on the continued need for more school money and the burden it places on the taxpayer. Sooner or later the well is going to run dry of taxpayer money for funding our schoools. Something has to be done. Times are changing and our education system has to change along with it. Below are some possible solutions to the school funding dilemna that we need to contemplate.

1. Each community will continue to have their own grade school in which children will attend classes K through 5. After that, home schooling will be encouraged. In the near future internet based computers will be as common a household item as a telephone. Students will eventually be taking courses and tests and communicating with teachers over the internet. Home schooled students will spend one day a week on a staggered schedule throughout the week with a reduced staff of teachers to give tests, provide more in depth instruction, and answer questions. The onsite instruction will take place at a common school in which students from each community will attend on a staggered schedule once a week.

2. Students interested in non academic careers will receive credit by working with local craftmen realizing that the training of tradesmen is just as important as training doctors and lawyers.

4. Each county will have a board of education consisting of professional hired to handle the running of all schools in the county. They will control the hiring of staff and the managing of revenue and expenses. The board will consist of both educators responsible for the quality of education in the schools and businessmen responsible for controlling costs and managing revenues. Many will object to this notion saying it results in the loss of local control. In fact, most school districts now are held hostage to mandates issued by the state, funds released by the state, and incentives to consolidate which is the opposite of local control.

5. Teacher and administrative salaries will be based on reviews by the board of education each year and not on how many years of service. Realizing that the number of teachers will be fewer, measures must be taken to ensure that policies which protect job security in our school system be replaced with a policy that promotes only the best. This will result in fewer but higher paid teachers with a higher level of competency.

6. The parents of each student will be required to attend an adult education class once a month for instruction on how to home school their children. In addition, feedback will be given to the parents on their children's progress. Parents who attend these classes will be reimbursed $25 for student fees for each class attended.

The result of the above actions will reduce the cost of educating our students by reducing the number of teachers and administrators needed, eliminating the need for most bussing, elimimating the costs associated with running sports programs, and by a reduction in the number of buildings needed to be maintained for housing students. In addition, it removes much of the babysitting now placed on the school and places more responsibility on the parents to motivate their children and monitor their progress. It introduces objectivity into the running of our schools by having a professionally run school board with no emotional ties or self-serving motives to govern their decisions. Finally, it ensures that we retain the best and the brightest to be our teachers.

Just as the internet is now replacing the brick and mortar stores on main street America, so will it replace the bricks and mortar of our school system. The sooner we realize what is needed to improve our education system, the better will be the result. We must seize these new opportunities to make our education system more productive and economical. We cannot let antiquated policies of the past jeopardize the future of our youth.

These suggestions may seem controversial now but I am certain that 50 years from now the educating of our children will be entirely different from what it is now. Now is the time to plan for the future so that America does not get left behind in the global economy. I will appreciate hearing if anyone has any other suggestions to improve our education system.