Perdido 03

Perdido 03

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Cuomo - Another Free Market Fetishist Bringing "Competition" To A Collaborative Enterprise

Oh, boy, another free market fetishist who plans to bring those wonderful business ethics that brought us the tech bubble of the early 2000's the real estate bubble of the middle 2000's and the credit crisis/financial crisis of the late 2000's to public education:

In his first State of the State speech today, Cuomo proposed creating two new competitive grant funds for state school districts, worth $250 million each.

The first grant would reward districts that boost students’ academic performance. The second would go to districts that find ways to cut costs that don’t affect the classroom.

It’s not yet clear if the addition of the grant competitions would alter the state’s current formula-based education model. But the governor was critical of the model, which he said gives districts no incentives to improve.

“Competition works,” Cuomo said, pointing to the state legislature’s passage of a charter cap lift bill as part of its (eventually successful) bid to win Race to the Top funds.

Cuomo’s plan would follow the lead of the federal government, which the governor said has “actually been more innovative in this area.”

Actually schools work best when there is collaboration between government, staff, parents and students to bring the best possible education to children.

Why so many American political leaders seem to be so enamored of Reaganesque slogans about the wonders of free markets, performance-based pay and competition after unfettered free markets, pay based upon bonuses and ill-regulated competition that encourages monopolies brought us three bubbles and two financial crises in the last ten years is beyond me.

I can only assume that the politicians who hawk this crap are themselves as corrupt as the "competition" they hawk as the solution to everything in society.

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