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Monday, April 19,1993
Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9
Should state-run education he subject
to increasing privatization ?
State-run educa
tion should be pri
vatized because it
is a abysmal fail
ure. While most
schools excel at
mediocrity, large
inner-city schools
are at best ware
houses for warm
bodies, and at
worst, death traps.
Meanwhile, busi
nesses teach reme
dial courses for ba
sic skills that pub
lic schools don't
teach. "Teaching
new workers basic skills," said David
Kearns, chairman of Xerox, "is doing the
schools' product recall for them."
The public schools' cry for "more
money'' is the eternal squeal of the poked
pig: Between 1960 and 1984, enrollment
( increased 9 percent; teachers increased 57
percent; principals, 79 percent and "other
staff," a stupefying 500 percent, making
schools the largest contract granter after
the Department of Defense and the
largest single employer. Pupil-teacher ra
tios fell from 26.9 in 1955 to 17.2 in 1991.
Between 1980 and 1990, the average ex
penditure per pupil in daily attendance
increased 48.3 percent in inflation-adjust
ed dollars, an average annual rate higher
than the previous 20 years.
Numerous studies find no link be
tween expenditures per student, pupil-
student ratios, teacher salary and student
performance, whether it is a comparison
with other school districts or other coun
tries. Posing as impoverished and help
lessly underfunded is better public rela
tions than saying, "I'm a bloated bureau
cracy, and I'm taking your money."
Public schools have an interest in the
inefficiency they engender. Monopolies
are characterized by the waste, spiraling
prices and shoddy service so descriptive
of the public school monopoly.
What about the poor under a private
system? The government could defray
the expense of private schools to the poor
without the imposition of a public sys
tem. An objection to this is that it might
"establish" religion by subsidizing reli
gious schools, an absurd proposition. The
subsidy would be going to the poor fami
ly, not to the school, and is no more a sub
sidy of religion than Baptists on welfare
using a portion of their subsidized in
come to tithe to the church.
Other than efficiency aspects of this
question, freedom ought to be consid
ered. Public education instills and sus
tains the small-beer fascism that charac
terizes America. The American system
was modeled after the Prussian school
system that aimed to unify Germany into
a nation of goose-steppers, which has
worked well once one considers this un
spoken policy goal. "Great care must be
taken," wrote Horace Mann, a pioneer of
public education, "to inform and regulate
the will of the people." A Texas law
states that, "textbooks shall not contain
certain material which serves to under
mine authority." The monopoly of public
education ought to be privatized - the ul
timate product recall - not only because it
is inefficient, but because it was spawned
to control the will of the people as a pro
paganda machine for the State.
Houston
schools are study
ing a proposal
which would al
low a private com
pany, the Perfor
mance School
Corp., to oversee
as many as three
schools. This pub
lic school privati
zation is simply a
cop-out by the
government.
First of all, this
idea is inconsis
tent. The whole
reason public
schools exist is to provide quality educa
tion to everyone. This is particularly ben
eficial to those who can't afford to send
their kids to private schools. The govern
ment has taken the responsibility to teach
the children. Public education is meant
to be found in a public school, not a pri
vately run school. The private sector is
reserved for the private schools.
Perhaps the government with all its
power and access to knowledge is admit
ting its inability to deal with the public
school system. Something must be
wrong for the government to give up the
public schools to the private sector.
The problem could be one of adminis
trative technique. If this is the case, why
doesn't the government hire the private
corporation to teach the government the
technique? No matter the cost, this
would still be more cost effective than
paying for each student individually,
which is what the Performance School
Corp. is suggesting.
Another option is for the government
to research this new "miraculous cure"
for administration that results in higher
test scores. It is ridiculous to think only
this corporation knows how to imple
ment effective administrative techniques.
If the problem is not technique, per
haps it is the current administration's
lack of control. Perhaps present govern
ment administrators are given little au
thority because of the state legislature.
Because the administrators have been
given little backing, the schools have
failed to achieve results. Now, the gov
ernment is looking for a third party that
won't be trapped by the government's
regulation. The solution, in this case,
would be to cut out the regulation that
makes administrating effectively an im
possibility.
Finally, this privatization of public
schools still would not give the students
the freedom of choice. Currently, stu
dents are forced to remain in low-grade
public schools in their district because of
a lack of money. They are the ones who
must suffer if school administrators fail.
They have no choice. They can't switch
schools. The best solution would be to
enforce capitalism within the school sys
tem and change to the voucher system.
The voucher system makes the schools
earn the right to nave tax money from the
students. The schools with good adminis
tration will survive, but those that are run
poorly will fail.
In summary, the government must ed
ucate itself, provide greater power to ad
ministrators and earn the right to educate
the students. Students don't need to be
the victims of poor administration.
MATT
DICKERSON
Columnist
JANET
HOLDER
Columnist
Dickerson is a sophomore economics major.
Holder is a senior journalism major.
Editorials appearing in The Battalion reflect the views of the editorial board only. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of other
Baftaton staff members, the Texas A&M student body, regents, administration, faculty or staff.
Columns, guest columns, and Mail Cal items express the opinions of the authors only.
The Battalion encourages letters to the editor and wl print as many css space alows n the MaJ Cal section tetters must be 300 words
or less and indude the author's name, class, and phone number.
Due to space restrictions, guest columns w£ not be accepted unless the author contacts the opinion page for prior approval before
submitting columns.
We reserve the right to edt letters for length, style, and accuracy.
Letters should be addressed to:
The Battalion - Mai Cal
013 Reed McDonald/Mai stop 1111
Texas A&M University
Colege Station, TX 77843
Be one of us, the few, the proud
Future editor exhorts students to be a part of the Batt
H ow well does The Battalion do
its job? To some, Texas
A&M's newspaper is more
commonly referred to as the "liberal
rag." It is the outlet to express the
left-wing, communist viewpoints of a
bunch of psychotic, hippie-loving,
pinkoes who support free love and
anarchy.
Others believe that The Battalion
serves as the conservative propagan
da machine. It is the tool of the aris
tocratic, pious, insensitive Nazis who
are closed-minded and intolerant.
And still others wish we would
take more of a stand.
The media doesn't seem to have
too many fans these days. At Texas A&M, this is particu
larly true.
The Battalion, especially over the last year, has had its
share of criticism from all sides regarding an infinite num
ber of issues. From Bosnia to Bryan, from Bill Clinton to
Ron Wilson, you have had an opinion about the issues
and how we have covered them.
It is you, the readers, that I'd like to address. Basically,
there are two things to say.
1) Don't stop. As masochistic as it seems, keep those
opinions coming. The Battalion can never be able to
gauge the opinions of the readers if it never hears from
them. The day this paper should start worrying is the day
it never listens to what the reader has to say.
Everyone is encouraged to write into Mail Call to let
your voice be heard. If there's an issue that you didn't
think we covered correctly, tell us. If there's an issue that
you think we should have covered instead, tell us. If
there's an issue that we covered well, tell us.
The mass media has to have a two-way flow of commu
nication. They need their audience to provide feedback
and have an opportunity for rebuttal. Without reader in
volvement, The Battalion or any other member of a free
press cannot function.
2) And more importantly, if you don't like the way The
Battalion does its job, then change it.
This week, applications will be available for staff posi
tions throughout the newspaper for this summer and fall.
All students in good standing are eligible to apply. You
don't have to be a journalism or an English major to apply.
You don't even have to have any newspaper experience.
All you need to apply is an ability in writing, editing,
drawing or photography and an interest in Texas A&M.
If you have an opinion to express, join the opinion
page.
If you have a knack for digging below the surface to
find information, join the city desk.
If you have an appreciation for the performing arts, join
the lifestyles desk.
If you know you're way around a camera, join the pho
to desk.
If you're an armchair quarterback who reads up on the
latest in football, volleyball and basketball, join the sports
desk.
The Battalion is looking for staffers from all parts of
campus and from all walks of life. It doesn't matter if
you're in the Corps or a non-reg, if you're frat or anti-frat,
north side or south side, off-campus or on-campus.
More importantly. The Battalion is actively seeking mi
nority involvement. It is impossible to explore every facet
of this University without voicing issues which concern
the minority community. Therefore, The Battalion would
encourage every interested minority to apply and have
their voice heard.
It's simple. All you do is fill out a form. They're avail
able in MSC and in Reed McDonald. Applications are due
in Room 013 of Reed McDonald by Monday, April 26th. If
you have any questions or comments, please call 845-3315
for more information.
So the challenge is to you: If there's something you
don't like about The Battalion or there's something you
think can be improved, then we welcome the opportunity
for you to change it.
The Battalion is the students' newspaper. It's run by
students, and it's read by students. If this paper can con
tinue to be a voice for the students of Texas A&M, it must
have the involvement of all students.
Whitley is a junior journalism major, and will serve as editor in
chief for The Battalion next fall.
CHRIS
WHITLEY
Columnist
O . ‘WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE PRESIDENT
AND CONGRESS ARE DEADLOCKED ?
Fish Day a sacred,
old Aggie tradition
In response to the April 7 letter attack
ing Fish Day, I would like to point out
that Fish Day is a tradition of the Corps
and has been one for several decades.
Fish Day serves two purposes. First, it
allows upperclassmen to evaluate fresh
man in a variety of situations involving
leadership and crisis management. This
helps the upperclassmen decide which
positions individual freshman will hold
the following year. It also allows cadets
one day to "let off steam." Cadets live in
a harsh, strenuous environment while
representing the University 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. This is one day
they can relax.
Further remarks were made about de
struction of property and "messing up
Duncan." Cadets are required to make
reparations on any damage they incur.
Furthermore, the University spends no
money cleaning Duncan because the
cadets themselves come afterward and
clean up. I along with dozens of other
cadets spent three or more hours sweep
ing, scrubbing, and mopping Duncan.
The unnamed author then questioned the
"honor and tradition of the Corps." Let
me point out that this University and its
traditions began with the Corps. We
keep the mascot; we are the yell leaders;
we are the band; we started bonfire. Sil
ver Taps, Muster, and Midnight Yell Prac
tice long before there were non-regs. This
University's respected name is the result
of over 100 years of Corps discipline and
training. Anyone who questions our
honor; and traditions is reminded that
Highway 6 runs both ways.
Kevin Lyons
Class of '95
Sophomores upset
about graduation too
I have read numerous letters from
graduating seniors in the Mail Call. I
agree that it is an outrage to limit seniors
to only six guests! Graduation, especially
from A&M, is an important occasion that
should be shared with all loved ones, not
just a select few.
This situation reminds me of my high
school graduation for which each gradu
ate received only six tickets. Surely,
A&M receives a great deal more financial
assistance per student than a high school.
In addition, we pay a great deal of
money to go to A&M. If a high school
can afford the staff and money to hold a
graduation ceremony with six guests per
graduate, shouldn't A&M have the mon
ey and facilities to allow graduating se
niors more guests? As a sophomore, I am
worried about my future graduation
from A&M. Should I start eliminating
people from my guest list now?
Cathy Mathson
Class of '95
Student attending
Silver Taps inspires
Returning home from Silver Taps last
Tuesday evening, I saw something that
made me proud to be an Aggie. In front
of Heldenfels on the opposite side of the
street, a handicapped student rolled his
wheelchair back from the service for fall
en Aggies. If you consider how much
trouble it was for him to attend, it makes
those who make Silver Taps a low priori
ty look quite lazy. Perhaps this will moti
vate more of us to participate in one of
the great traditions that make our school
such a red-ass place. Gig 'em Ags!
Travis Boehmer
Class of'95