Mayor Unwittingly Illustrates Need For School Vouchers
By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of L.A.As reported in the Daily News and by Doug McIntyre on KABC 790, Mayor Villaraigosa unveiled his nine-point plan to improve education. (Didn't he already unveil a plan a few months ago, something like "Eight Pillars of The Three R's?")
Anyway, it turns out the Mayor and his staff -- whose salaries you pay -- spent 18 months re-inventing the wheel: the LAUSD had already adopted the same policies last year.
Let's try something REALLY different. Let's give the power of the purse to the people who care more than anyone else about the success of the children: their parents. We should license and accredit private schools, and give vouchers to parents who want to opt out of the disaster we call "LAUSD."
Posted by Walter Moore @ 3/22/2007 08:12:00 AM
19 Comments:
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha....
That's rich: vouchers.
You're making yourself a laughingstock and your campaign doesn't even exist yet.
Give charter schools another year or two, and folks will be fleeing for the exits. The Academia is the tip of the iceberg.
Will the illegal aliens get vouchers?
Where will they be educated?
What about parochial schools -- for ZD's Most High Church Of Ice-olator Hashish?
Grow up, Walter. The "voucher" concept has been bankrupt for twenty years.
8:38 AM,
I don't think the idea is as over-the-top and laughable as you are making it out ot be.
I mean, maybe there are challenges with Charters, but the way you not only completely discount it, but have to attack Walter personally, only says to the readers, that you obviously have something to gain by keeping all kids under a school system under "mayoral watch". (Can't wait to see his agenda...isn't the mayor on the same team as Nucklehead Nunez? I can only imagine what will happen. The problem with these guys, is they let their own personal agendas affect their decisions and actions as elected officials.)
Personally, if you were to run the concept of Charters through the Deming test, I would think Charter schools, by nature are systematically at an advantage to produce higher academic achievement because they can operate holistically, without all the beuracracy, politics and systematic inefficiency that accompanies any overly large system, like LAUSD.
So of course a privatized system can outperform the beuracratic, politicized, governmental system.
So then, you can look into political factors at Charter schools, and abuse of the system, or discrimination...but to completely dismiss it, and claim bankruptcy for twenty years is revealing.
But I do not begrudge you, or consider you a loser; wasting your time, because you are only doing the job you are paid to do. (As opposed to an outside observer, who is spending so many endless hours, monitoring this blog, and commenting relentlessly, I can't imagine how the person can be an actual leader to anyone or for anything in life.)
Respectfully Submitted,
Zuma Dogg,
Methods For Management of Quality & Productivity
Reality: vouchers have never been accepted by the citizens of the USA.
We must provide a FREE and PUBLIC education. Must I scream that again...
AMERICA: THE RIGHT TO A FREE AND PUBLIC EDUCATION.
There are charter schools for kids whose parents want to forgo public education.
The fact is LOS ANGELES UNIFIED SCHOOLS ARE NOT FAILING. In fact they are improving. AV may say "not fast enough" but there are no overnight cures, just the hard work of education today. The teachers are the heroes.
In many classrooms kids are uncontrolable, and they cause the classes to be more of an exercise in sitting, and being quiet than of learning. Teachers don't know how to control this. However THIS is a problem that can be adressed, and should receive the greatest attention now.
With an uncontrollable class, obviously no learning takes place.
And kids need to feel safe both in class, and out of school.
These are the areas of priority in LAUSD.
Walter it's easy to say the schools are a disaster, but I suggest any credible candidate for mayor of L.A. must visit as many schools and classrooms as possible. Talk to people, observe, come up with solutions.
When people don't recognize the need for an equal opportunity for all hardworking children, and the value to our society, Amnerica suffers.
The reality is we have to work with what we have. OR GIVE IT TO VILLARAIGROSA, ALONG WITH CONTROL OF $20 BILLION DOLLARS OF CONTRACTS TO GIVE OUT AND NOTHING WILLL STOP THE CONTRIBUTIONS TO HIM IF HE OBTAINS CONTROL OF LAUSD.
Now, money is the mother's milk of politics and until honest, dedicated, and ethical people are elected and restore confidence in our government- 8% voter turnouts will probably continue.
America
America
America
America
America
ok ?
You must love Antonio to slam your head against a immovable object, as a center piece for your education reform. MAN, WAKE UP.
Do you realize, Antonio (and the candidates he will easily be able to finance), will be the recipient of (payback) donations from every greatful contractor. He would have virtually unlimited campaign money from business owners, if he is given a say in awarding contracts for the largest public works project in U.S. history. Twenty billion dollars in school bonds.
America America America EXACTLY! NOT Mexico, NOT El Salvador, and NOT Colombia. LAUSD will continue spiraling out of control until we have secure borders.
Walter, don't throw your credibility away over principals that will be misunderstood, and will label you a extremist. Don't comprimise your ideals, but be smart and at least get a major party behind you. Once elected you might want to change your mind, or fine tune your campaign retoric. But you're pissing in the wind, if you think you can motivate the voters by turning them off.
You have a good mind. Think about a successful candidate, and a winning campaign. Focus on short, credible facts, you have to be entertaining to be a successful candidate. Embrace the mainstream media. Get over this childish villatimes, poligrosa, name calling, it doesn't further a trustworthy, mature, well educated, public persona. You have got to decide if you want to play- and alienate, or seduce the voters and the media, with short, credible jabs. Los Angeles needs a leader who does more than but can't pass the bar exam.
Remember in a campaign against a well financed, popular incumbent,
you've got to remember the -- UFC Ultimate Fighting Candidacy creed: THE PUBLIC LOVES TO SEE BLOOD, BUT NOT SO MUCH THAT IT MAKES PEOPLE TURN AWAY.
Practice, practice, he's had a lot of practice bullshitting. You will need an edge for the media and the public to take notice.
Give people a reason to vote, and you can take him. Zorro
Zuma, you still look like the unabomber. I know what's inside is the really important thing, but the next time you want to want to go on a date with the public, you should look like a winning candidate not a convict. You're really smart, and you can do good for us, but people judge you on your appearance, and clean is in. if you are serious about changing the world, ask yourself what kind of image would you have to project to get voters to trust you.
The Educational Case Against Vouchers
Student achievement ought to be the driving force behind any education reform initiative. See what research says about the relationship between vouchers and student achievement.
Americans want consistent standards for students. Where vouchers are in place -- Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Florida -- a two-tiered system has been set up that holds students in public and private schools to different standards.
NEA and its affiliates support direct efforts to improve public schools. There is no need to set up new threats to schools for not performing. What is needed is help for the students, teachers, and schools who are struggling.
The Social Case Against Vouchers
A voucher lottery is a terrible way to determine access to an education. True equity means the ability for every child to attend a good school in the neighborhood.
Vouchers were not designed to help low-income children. Milton Friedman, the "grandfather" of vouchers, dismissed the notion that vouchers could help low-income families, saying "it is essential that no conditions be attached to the acceptance of vouchers that interfere with the freedom of private enterprises to experiment."
A pure voucher system would only encourage economic, racial, ethnic, and religious stratification in our society. America’s success has been built on our ability to unify our diverse populations.
The Legal Case Against Vouchers
About 85 percent of private schools are religious. Vouchers tend to be a means of circumventing the Constitutional prohibitions against subsidizing religious practice and instruction.
The Political Landscape
Each year, about $65 million dollars is spent by foundations and individuals to promote vouchers. In election years, voucher advocates spend even more on ballot measures and in support of pro-voucher candidates.
In the words of political strategist, Grover Norquist, "We win just by debating school choice, because the alternative is to discuss the need to spend more money..."
Despite desperate efforts to make the voucher debate about "school choice" and improving opportunities for low-income students, vouchers remain an elitist strategy. From Milton Friedman's first proposals, through the tuition tax credit proposals of Ronald Reagan, through the voucher proposals on ballots in California, Colorado, and elsewhere, privatization strategies are about subsidizing tuition for students in private schools, not expanding opportunities for low-income children.
http://www.nea.org/vouchers/
Go talk to people in schools?
Excuse me, I actually TAUGHT high school in the LAUSD. That is one reason I know it is inherently flawed.
For the most part, the only children in LAUSD schools are those whose parents can't afford to send them to private school. All children should have the option of receiving a quality education, and, with a few exceptions, that is NOT the LAUSD.
P.S. Presenting the "case against vouchers" would be more compelling if it didn't come from the teacher's union. Do you have anything from an impartial group, or just from a union that doesn't want its ox gored?
Don't laugh. Walter Moore is arguably "the" most accessible of all candidates from the last election, and IF he manages to break through in the next election, I can guaran-fucking-tee you that he won't be one of those officials who craves the ceremonial soap-box.
Everyone seems like an outsider until they're elected, and then they just join the fold. I have a strong suspicion that Walter is going to break that mold, and the self-aggrandizing dopes in City Council will try to bring him into the fold, only to see that he is the real deal.
The voucher guy is not me. I am zorro.
Walter, why did you teach in LAUSD schools?
You're not an idealist, are you?
EXCUSE ME: visiting schools as a candidate is different from teaching. You can take villaragiosa, but you have to be likeable, and look and sound like you have the temperment and knowledge-(which you have in abundance), and maturity, that will give you an edge.
A candidate has only a few seconds of attention from voters- it may not be right, but image rules. Again, If you are really serious about becoming a winning candidate you must recognize the value of your image, and media.
Even Zuma, knows that in the world of real, honest, deep from the heart rock music--- the guys with the winning image win - LIKE KISS.
A Princeton educated lawyer teaching in a LAUSD school???
really, why?
how long did you teach - as a sub, for ten days?
Walter,
THERE YOU GO AGAIN, what's the edge in slamming the teachers union. Do you think you will gain the trust of teachers of LAUSD by goring the NEA, which is not a union. As a candidate; if you are going to fight every windmill that presents itself you'll be exhausted, and easily manipulated by an skilled opponent. Image, remember. first, get elected, remember. You can take him, but you will need to demonstrate disipline. Pissing everyone off, or causing the voters to distrust you will not get you there.
why is it that no one can make a coherent argument against a popular mayor??
No one has even mentioned that another 4 years and he'll find a way to stampede prop 13, and then when property tax bills, and whatever other tax schemes they can come up with, many homeowners will have wished they voted.
Why?
1. it's American to vote.
2. you can't fix everything by throwing money at problems, especially my money.
11:20am,
Thanks for the input. You know, it's not like I WANT to be walking around this way. Snoop Dogg looks sharp and has fresh, fly threads, and Zuma Dogg would like walk around that way, too.
So although I defend the right to look this way, for everyone else who has been discriminated against for the way they look or socio=econmic status, thi is the best I can do.
Everyday I wake up thinking it's gonna be the day I can get to the barber for a shave and haircut, and clean up and do my laundry. But I'm still stuck in downtown LA, slept in my van last night, don't have money for food...it's called being stuck in a rut. I'm sure if I had $100 in my hand at one time, instead of $4.23 at a time, I might be able to do something. Sorry. But I can either show up like the homeless person I am, or stay home and let shadiness off the hook.
Yeah....lets give vouchers to every damned illiterate illegal in the city! Why not????
No matter how you slice it, this city is 75% Mexican and no non-Mexican parent will allow their children to be dumbed down with those dummies.
This is a city without a middle class. My adult children who DID receive wonderful educations would NEVER raise their kids here or put them in a government school!
It's just a tragedy that ANY money is spent on the illiterate populace...what a waste! This is Mexico ....how sad!
Abolish the Dept. of Education and stop the Federal funding....force the illiterate migrants to go back to Mexico or continue this insanity. Wake up and smell the filth in this city!
Walter Moore for Mayor! Any candidate for school vouchers is a candidate for freedom of choice!! Finally someone is making sense for our children and not just kow-towing to the unions! God bless ya! -Crystal
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