California School System Evisceration & Revamp

Well, what do I know, really? But the budget cuts for Fremont -- which is in relatively good shape and contains the 49th best public school in the country (my son's) -- are so severe we're talking about the end of libraries, counselors, all transportation and of course the increase of class size (which means the decrease in teaching staff... and we all know which employees leave sinking ships first).

Please forget about textbooks, well-stocked bathrooms, or of course anything innovative in any way.

What happens next? I asked a friend of mine who sits on the Board and has two kids in the schools. Next step is that schools go through a certification process where they can be determined to be able to create a solvent (if severely curtailed) budget or not. If not? Bankruptcy.

We get to share the fate of Oakland: people -- led by a person -- come in and fix things using whatever process and towards whichever goals they believe to be best. 

Will your local school be better having been broken and rebuilt than it would have been through more gradual change? Hard to say. But abrupt change is looking increasingly inevitable, as those people who want to own public education are taking the helm by making it impossible for even well-run districts to function adequately.  About a third of California's 1000 school districts will need to be reviewed for solvency.

* How are these rescuers chosen? What are their qualifications?
* What is their vision for a functioning school district?  For a healthy community? Do they share the libertarian or green ideal of small centralized government enough that they'll allow local flavor to public schools?
* How do they evaluate those currently employed by the district in order to avoid not only actual cronyism but perceptions of it?
* And of course, what is their success rate? How do they measure it?
* What will it look like to be a teacher in those districts during the time of review and overhaul? How can we retain teaching talent, experienced counselors, and skilled administrators?
* And how do we best help the shock to kids and parents whose schools were functioning just fine, but are suddenly in a state of upheaval?

Comments

[fairhavenhorn]

My experience is that this kind of thing is very different from state to state. The rules vary incredibly when you cross that state line. It might also be county sensitive in California. So just pay attention to the local feedback.

[zenpundit]

"What will it look like to be a teacher in those districts during the time of review and overhaul? How can we retain teaching talent, experienced counselors, and skilled administrators?"

The most promising younger teachers, those under 7 years experience, will leave as they are at their most marketable. Ditto for the best who are eligible for early retirement as they will fear being screwed out of their pensions or health insurance if they roll the dice and stay a few more years.

Unless the salary schedule is generous, their replacements will be of markedly lower quality because the district will look like a bad bet to prospective hires.

Of the middle experience cohort, they have less mobility because they would lose tenure and years of experience if they change districts. Those with administrative degrees will try to leave the classroom for admin posts in or out of district and the most motivated without degrees will get admin degrees within 15-24 months. Then many of those will leave too.

Those who are risk averse, mediocre performers will become the face of the district unless a focused recruitment campaign is enacted to draw top talent back into the system