CRI’s goals for 2013

2013 is already upon us, and three days in things are headed downhill. Congress just passed a bill to respond to the so-called “fiscal cliff” by increasing EVERYONE’S taxes at least a little bit, and a lot if you have a high income (note: if your money comes from investments and assets, such as Warren Buffett, your taxes will be unchanged). More battles will come up on the debt ceiling, automatic defense cuts, and future budget deals (if any come), and no doubt the partisanship will continue.

Delaware has its own problems to deal with: unfunded pension liabilities, out of control Medicaid spending, bad deals with Fisker and Bloom Energy, education performances moving sideways and not up, and taxes such as the gross receipts taxes which harm business growth. These are just a sample of the issues facing the state. While CRI would like to resolve every major issue within the state, that is not very likely.

Therefore CRI will spend 2013 focusing on three elements: improving education standards, discouraging corporate subsidies, and preventing the state from passing any legislation which pushes single-payer healthcare by abolishing private healthcare insurance.

Education reform will be CRI’s top priority in 2013. There is general consensus that the education system as currently structured is not serving the students well, particularly those in areas like Wilmington and Dover, where parents usually do not have the  financial means to send their children off to private schools, and who cannot be guaranteed a slot in the charter schools due to bureaucratic processes. CRI is calling for legislative actions to allow the money to “follow the student”, where parents have options such as Education Savings Accounts (ESA) that give parents the financial opportunity to choose where they want to educate their child. We hope to inform and engage the public and the legislators into some serious action this year that will give students a big victory for their future.

Our second goal is to reduce, if not eliminate, subsidies for preferred businesses and special interest friends of the government. Bloom Energy and Fisker Automotive are two prime examples of the government handing over “subsidies” for “investment” in these companies, meaning hundreds of millions in tax dollars to give to these companies, money we will in reality never receive payback for. There is no industry in Delaware receiving taxpayer money that can be said to be worth the corporate welfare. Our aim is to educate the public and legislators, and push Delaware to either reduce/eliminate current government subsidies to preferred parties, or else to agree to prohibit future government subsidies via “corporate welfare”.

Our third goal will be to discourage the Legislature from passing any bill which bans private health insurance in favor of “single payer” government. While CRI acknowledges the issues in containing healthcare costs, such as Tort reform, allowing insurance to be purchased across state lines, and using means-tested methods to determine who qualifies for Medicare or Medicaid as opposed to just handing it out to anyone who asks, there is no way the government can raise all the taxes needed to pay for this without destroying job opportunities or sending them out of state. Plus, the government will not be able to manage the insurance aspects of healthcare policy without setting up a massive, inefficient bureaucracy, just like they do with everything else.

What do you think? Are there any goals CRI should work for that are no mentioned above?

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Excellence in Education Guest Lecturer Series Luncheon

Next Tuesday, July 31st, the Caesar Rodney Institute will host a Guest Lecturer Series luncheon at Dover Downs in the Kent Room. Mr. Jim Hosley, who is the Center Director for Excellence in Education at CRI, has invited Dr. Matthew Ladner from the Foundations for Excellence in Education as the featured speaker. Dr. Ladner is the Senior Advisor of Policy and Research there, and has previously worked as Director of State Projects for the Alliance for School Choice. He has provided testimony to Congress, a number of state legislatures, and the United States Commission on Civil Rights. He has also authored studies, journal, and law review articles on education reform.

The purpose of this lunch (which is free for those who attend) is not to hear a great speak pontificate about his accomplishments and preach to the choir of those of us mortals below him as to what we should be doing. What Dr. Ladner is going to do is to facilitate a discussion about education, how strategies to help students from low-income families to succeed have worked, and how to put parents and teachers back in charge of their classroom, as opposed to the red tape bureaucracy both in Dover and in DC which micromanages every aspect of the educational process. So far, two elected officials have confirmed attendance: Senator Gary Simpson and Representative Harvey Kenton. We also have both GOP candidates for the 32nd House District, Will McVay and Ellis Parrott, who will be present.
If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Matt Revel, our Programs Coordinator, at 734-2700, or e-mail him at matt@caesarrodney.org

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Tabled: HB 380 Relating to Charter Schools

Wednesday the House Education Committee tabled HB 380.  The purpose of this bill is to revise the Delaware Charter School law by among other things requiring charter school applications be submitted to local school boards for review and consideration, require a face-to-face meeting with the charter school applicant to review and discuss the application, requiring statements about the impact on school district enrollment and financial programs, and eliminating five mile draw boundary.

The objectives of HB 380 seem reasonable until questions from House Members and testimony by the Charter Schools Network, CRI, Department of Education and other interested groups pointed out issues with the bill. Problems that include the application process, impact statements, administration of lotteries, the emphasis on the system taking focus away from the student, the logistical impact on families that would have made teacher and parent interaction difficult if not impossible for some, and the potential for influence  by unions and other special interest groups with specific agendas.

 

Rep Jaques’ intent was to start a conversation about Charter Schools and to promote a more civil discourse. He accomplished his purpose and after hearing all the discussion decided the bill should be tabled.

The focus now switches to Rep Schooley’s ‘blue ribbon’ committee on Charter Schools. She briefly outlined her plan at the end of the discussion on the Charter School Bill.

CRI is disappointed she continues to focus on one small part of the overall education system. A part that is less than 10% of the total K-12 enrollment, has some really stunning successes, and has a 58% minority enrollment. We agree they can be even better however they do not deserve the attention given them particularly when the larger problem of how poorly prepared students are for college or careers.

The focus must be on how to improve the education experience and results for all children in the total system including charter schools.

Over the past few years across the country there has been a revolution in innovation. Charter schools were created nearly twenty years ago to improve total student learning and to encourage different and innovated learning methods in exchange for being freed from some onerous regulations and influence; but charters are not enough.

Today innovation challenges the model of single or limited school choice. One model just doesn’t fit the diversity of student and family issues when there are available many different methods with private, religious, home schooling, virtual schooling – creative greenfield approaches that have the potential to overcome the lack of change over the past 50 years and overcome the ‘tuition barrier’ by opening up more funds for parents in all income levels to pay for the best education for their children.

Over next few months CRI will feature some of these through profiles, You Tube video and print articles.

And, CRI needs your support – make your concerns known to your elected representatives. The focus must be on renewing the total school system and expanding the opportunity for all to share the benefits of a great education system.

 

James E. Hosley

Director, Center for Education Excellence

 

 

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Newark Charter School Posts Top Scores

A couple of weeks ago, the Newark Charter School announced that its students produced “exceptional scores in social studies and science” per May 2009 DSTP data recently released by the State Board of Education.

The scores reflect high marks for the school’s 8^th grade students.

Per the school’s release,

Newark Charter School’s 8^th grade students had the highest science and social studies scores in the state.  In science, 98.7% of the 8^th graders met or exceeded the standards, and in social studies 97.4% did the same.  Also, in the State of Delaware, 5% of 8^th grade students scored at the Distinguished level in Social Studies and 14% scored that high in Science.  At Newark Charter School, 46% of the 8^th graders scored at the Distinguished level in Social Studies and 59% scored at the Distinguished level in Science.

The scores are evidence that charter schools are a great alternative to traditional public schools. The bottom line is that Newark Charter continues to perform quite well and above state averages. Congratulations to the school and more importantly, its students.

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