An Un-American Venture

The American Education System is often compared to its Asian counterparts. The Chinese and Indians focus on advanced scientific subjects that seem just out of the reach for American students. But, what government officials, who make this comparison, fail to understand is that these countries are run by private schools – yes, companies sell education.
In India, sure, highly specialized scientific study is available to highschool students, but for only a select group of highschool students – students who can afford it.
Such comparisons fail to capture the beauty of the American education system- the PUBLIC education system. A highly motivated and talented student can get the best education in the world - whether the student is the daughter of a delivery man or the son of an oil tycoon. Every student – as per New Jersey’s Constitution, Article II – has the right to a “thorough and efficient education.”
But the question that we must ask, especially now that this system seems to be waning, is its longevity. Is New Jersey’s renowned Public Education a thing of the past? Is it on the verge of collapse?
Last year, shortly after winning a first term as the governor of the Garden State, Christopher Christie signed into law one of the most controversial budgets passed in the history of New Jersey. Among other things, the Christie budget called for the layoffs of 1,300 state workers (many of whom are teachers) and a 820 million dollar hole affecting every school district in the State – even in districts like Newark, Camden and Trenton, the three most-deficient districts in the State and Country.
But the inner politician, lawyer and schoolteacher in every one of us cannot help but wonder what drove the buffoon. Obviously, he didn’t do it just to cut public education, right? Well, this question is quite a bit more complicated than it may seem.
First off, the cited purpose behind the budget was to cut NJ’s deficit. After all, with the recession on a high and all, it only seems self-evident. The Christie Administration “[made] cuts across the board.” In addition to the enormous costs in school treasuries, the Governor’s office encouraged its member districts to make any and all possible lay-offs. Of course, the Tenure came up in this discussion quite a few times. Opponents of the practice, who supported Christie’s cuts, blamed the Tenure as the reason for District’s laying-off new teachers and not less merited ones. Yet, this theory forgets about a larger premise of the lay-offs. If New Jersey and the NJEA had not agreed on Tenure, who is to say that this blind lay-off plan would not have come to play like it did in New York under Cathie Black?
So, this budgeting issue seems to transcend economics—it seems to be a political issue. A Cold War seems to be a-brewing with the East, except this time its not an Arms Race, but a Brain Race.
If Christie simply cut-off heavy Capital from public schools and did nothing else in regards to education and tax reform, the Fiscal reason might actually live up to its potential, but he did not stop there. The Big Buffoon, breaking his election promise, suspended a popular property tax rebate program that coincidentally broke the hearts of middle-class New Jersey people – leaving unaffected the riches of the wealthy. The Budget also made tax cuts on “institutions dedicated to the promotion of the general good.” Mind you, these are tax cuts, so “institutions” like public schools, which provide an education for over 85% of New Jersey’s youth, are not eligible for any sort of benefit; however, private schools, that educate 15% of the State’s children, are.
If this were just any other State, this controversy would not be of any concern, but this is New Jersey. Our Founding Fathers created it to provide a “thorough and efficient education” to all children, rich or poor. Not doing so would be un-Jersey-like. Making excuses to cover it up, well, that’s just un-American.
[An Un-American Institution]