SCHOOL BOARDS ARE IMPOTENT

Ooh this is fun. I could add a whole lot of words after impotent in the title which would be both accurate and insulting but I will rein in my enthusiasm for the current mess we are in courtesy of all our "partners in education". I think I will puke if I hear McGuinty or anyone else use that expression again. I could live with "partners in exploitation" or "partners in manipulation", "deception" etc.. Literally for decades the education establishment has considered both children and parents as unfortunate but necessary cogs in the wheel. Not stakeholders; definitely not stakeholders mind you, merely cogs. Parents are there to get their kids ready for school in the mornings and to ooh and ahh over the latest education flavour of the month nonsense. Parents most definitely are not there to actively participate as equal partners in their childrens' education. Parents are not so subtly told to butt out and leave it all to the educational professionals.

Here is the direct result of decades of the tails (plural) wagging the dog. Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record has an Opinion piece by Luisa D'Amato titled "Boards merely bystanders in teachers' standoff". Luisa's facts are accurate as she describes the gradual reduction in the power and authority of our School Boards. Where I respectfully disagree with her is in her suggestion that this is a bad thing. Luisa has spent years if not decades writing about our local school boards and I would suggest writing critically, especially of our public school board. I often describe the incestuous relationship in Elmira between Chemtura (Uniroyal) and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment as "partners in pollution". Regarding the teachers' unions and the public board I would suggest that "partners in self aggrandizement and self benefit" is totally appropriate. Therefore the moves by the Province over the years to fix this very badly broken educational scenario are all to the good. Don't get me wrong here however. There are no white knights involved. Our provincial politicians are also petty and venal. They are only motivated by votes and public opinion. It is truly a wonder our educational system hasn't totally imploded. Give it time perhaps.