Public education has served many roles in addition to giving our children information. It has been a way for children from many backgrounds to meet children who may not be like them, hopefully learning from them and respecting their similarities and differences. It has provided a setting for children to learn how to think for themselves by presenting many perspectives, from both their teachers and classmates. It has provided a way to find out about things they may not have learned at home. Children whose parents are artists may not know how cars work. Children whose parents are mechanics may not know about cooking. Public schools give children opportunities that their families may not provide for any number of reasons, including finances, cultural and religious beliefs, and their families’ interests.
Public schools are intended to give students equal opportunities to learn accurate information about all subjects, not only those that their teachers or parents might like or approve of. Over the last few years, we have seen parents increasingly demand that public education be tailored to their personal preferences. If they don’t like certain books, they demand that the books be banned. If they don’t like certain perspectives of history, they demand that only one perspective be taught.
Parents can choose to have their children educated with only certain beliefs and perspectives. They can do this by enrolling their children in private schools, parochial schools, and by home schooling them. They should not expect that the public cater to their choices, either by restricting the public school curriculum or through vouchers for other non-public educational options.
The parents who want the public to pay for their educational choices will tell us that they pay their taxes and should therefore be able to use public funds to pay for their children’s alternative educational experiences. I disagree strongly with this. The public is already providing a taxpayer-funded educational option. If those dissenting parents want something else, they can pay for it themselves.
Let’s look at another service the city pays for: snow plowing. The funds for plowing public streets come from our taxes. If you live on a public street and don’t like how the street was plowed, you can demand that it be done differently. Chances are good that your demand will be turned down. If you live on a private street or want your own driveway plowed, you pay for a private plow operator or do it yourself. Education is a bigger and ongoing process, but the basic idea is the same: public services cover well, but not necessarily to each person’s desires. If I must have it my way, then I must pay for what I want.
Education is a highly emotional subject. All the parents I have ever met want what’s best for their children. Sometimes what’s best for all children means that it may not be exactly what each of us wants for our own children. We have our choices about how to deal with that, but demanding that public schools cater to our individual wants is not the right choice.
