City School Stories

You’ve Got to be Kidding
Submitted by Frank Murphy, March 8, 2011

I recently came across this vicious attack video, while conducting research concerning charter schools. The disdain shown in this production towards the noble intentions of educational entrepreneurs is despicable. I don’t understand how anyone could question the efforts of these heroic school reformers. After all, they are only trying to restore our public schools to their former greatness.

The hostile views expressed in this film towards charter schools are the rants of misguided and disgruntled teachers. The producer most likely is employed by one of America’s many dropout factory schools.

Clearly the agenda of this propaganda piece is to protect the monopoly that public schools enjoy in providing educational services to our nation’s youth. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a powerful teachers union financed this production.

This kind of reckless attack on our business leaders must stop. They are only trying to do what they know is best for our children. We need to do a better job of protecting them from the will of the people.

It is also time to get tough with the malcontents who are blocking our schoolhouse doorways. Their demands for transparency and inclusion in school planning decisions are impeding the reform efforts of our leaders.

In one city school district, a teacher who publically disagreed with the plans of the local business leaders to turn a public school into a charter school has been recommended for termination. Now isn’t it a comfort to know that there are educational leaders who will recommend such an action?

Can you imagine what our public schools would look like, if we had more leaders who won’t allow our children to be endangered by the civil protest of their teachers?