Abolish school boards?

Education Next, Fall, 2004

The continuing battle for control of the New York City schools shows why school boards are a valuable part of public education (see "The Future of School Boards," Forum, Summer 2004). In 2002, the state legislature eliminated the school board and gave total control of the school system to Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Over the past two years, however, many who wanted to see the board abolished have grown unhappy with Bloomberg's handling of the public schools.

Brookings Institution scholar Diane Ravitch and United Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten, both of whom supported mayoral control, wrote recently in the New York Times that Bloomberg's powers are "unchecked" and the city's education department operates in secrecy, denying "the right of the public to have a say in important decisions." In their words, it is time to allow a "board of respected citizens to set policy for the schools" and to "reestablish the role of the public in public education."

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This sounds like Ravitch and Weingarten want a local school board.

In Canada, the government of New Brunswick abolished elected school boards in 1996 in favor of a corporate governance structure that gave absolute power to the Minister of Education. Four years later, the parents, the public, and school administrators were frustrated at being left out of the decision-making process. They vented their anger at the polls and voted out the ruling party. The new government immediately reinstated elected school boards.

That's because school board members are the public's voice in public education. For generations, the public has trusted school boards to balance community goals and values with the needs of children. School board members are accessible to parents, advocates for children, and accountable for student performance. They are an essential component of the future of public education.

ANNE BRYANT

Executive Director

National School Boards Association

Alexandria, Virginia

In arguing for the elimination of the local school board, Chester Finn and Lisa Keegan ("Lost at Sea") state, "[State-level child-centered funding] would create not only a more equitable system, but also more effective schools."

I agree that a child-centered funding system would be more equitable. I also agree that our large city school districts are examples of monopolies at their worst. Yet it is not clear that a complete move to a state-funded, child-centered funding system would lead to more effective schools. For one thing, taxpayers might be less likely to support the current high levels of education funding if such funding were completely centralized.

In researching the effects of school-finance centralization in California, Harvard economist Caroline Hoxby found that increased centralization of school financing led to lowered per-pupil spending. This isn't surprising given that many individuals support local school taxes because doing so will increase the resale value of their home. No such incentive exists in a world of centralized funding.

JOSHUA HALL

The Buckeye Institute

Columbus, Ohio