By Mike Thayer
Everybody wants smarter kids right?
But is state sponsored Pre-K education a way to accomplish that? Really?
When the state legislature gets back to work in 2011, they'll be addressing some proposals that are floating around the Iowa House and Senate for preschooling. Proposals include preschool *scholarships* (translation: taxpayer subsidy), public/private partnerships (AmTrak anyone?) and means testing (if you make too much money as the state will determine, you'll not only pay the whole bill for your kid's preschooling - should you CHOOSE to send them to preschool - but you'll be forced to pay for other kids as well).
Question: Have pro Pre-K legislators even considered that whatever arbitrary income threshold figure they arrive at, may well mean that some parents may determine they can't afford or don't have a need to send their kid to preschool, but will be forced to pay taxes anyway to send others? Have supporters of Pre-K considered that a state mandate may not allow parents to send their kid to the school of their choosing?
Bigger question: Pre-K education may sound like a 'worthy' pursuit to some, but is it even authorized by the state Constitution?
And given that this is proposed to be a government program, will it even deliver as promised?
Given the track record of government, no - it wouldn't. That's written without hesitation.
To me, the notion that the government should create any kind of mandate for any schooling prior to Kindergarten and ask the taxpayers to fund it is an absurd one.
It's nanny state stuff and should be scorned, not proposed!
I know how to raise my children better than the government does. So do an overwhelming majority of Iowans.
My wife and I of modest means sent all three of our boys to preschool, that was our choice and we found a way to make it happen. Before our oldest son got to be preschool age, we established a goal for schooling and we worked to attain it. We researched available preschools in the area, we asked questions, we found a way to pay for it. We didn't look for a handout, we rolled up our sleeves, worked hard and made it happen. When our twins approached preschool age, we did the same thing. We determined a need for our family and we worked hard to fulfill that need. We made a series of choices to make it happen. That's what the American way of life is all about, er, supposed to be about. Am I saying that same scenerio should play out for all Iowa families? No, there are exceptions to every facet of life, but that doesn't mean we use exceptions as an excuse to create another state haul program.
Heck, the truck we're using now to haul kids in K-12 isn't exactly in top running condition. The state can't properly take care of schools as they are now, so proposing even broader reach and mandating more funding responsibility at this time is a very illogical step to take.
As a state - and speaking as a taxpayer - we the people need to make sure the truck we're using is in good running order, before we go looking to haul more with it. The balding tires need air, the shock absorbers wont' take a load like they used to, the transmission is stuck in second gear and legislators want to add more weight? Does that make sense to you?
So with that being written, here are four questions in order of priority we the people need to be asking our legislators. Four questions they need to properly address before proceeding any further on proposed Pre-K legislation:
1. Is government sponsored/taxpayer funded Pre-K education authorized by the state Constitution?
2. Have all areas of concern in K-12 been properly addressed, are things running as well as they could be, before we go off starting another project?
3. The state is already facing budget woes and the economy is sour, how is this going to be paid for let alone maintained?
4. Is there a true need? Really?
It doesn't matter how well intended any Pre-K proposal is. If no authorization in the state Constitution exists for Pre-K education, then the proposals must be ripped up and the matter dropped, period. And here's the dirty little secret folks, preschooling isn't something that's broken, yet some of those in power and influence in Des Moines seem to think it needs some fixing. Preschooling isn't for everyone, it's not needed by everyone and it certainly doesn't need any government fixing. Iowa USED to be one of THE top K-12 education states in the nation. That was accomplished before this silly notion of state-sponsored preschool was ever conceived. Hmmmmm..........
Seems to me that legislators need to ensure K-12 is running as lean and as efficiently as it could be, rather than creating yet another *responsibility* they can't handle.
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