Teacher exodus is a symptom

O.C. Register 5/1/07

Public schools have a teacher drop-out problem. And the reason one in five public school teachers leaves the job within four years can't be solved by throwing more money at the problem.

"They're almost saying 'You couldn't pay me enough to stay at this school,'" the Contra Costa Times quoted Ken Futernick, explaining teachers' complaints. A study by Mr. Futernick, of the Center for Teacher Quality at Cal State Sacramento, found that pay is not the reason most often cited by California teachers who quit, plan to quit or transfer because of job dissatisfaction.

The top reasons are bureaucratic interference, poor support from districts, low morale, lack of resources and unsupportive principals. That's no surprise in government bureaucracies.

The recent advertising campaign by the California Teachers Association claims more "investments" are needed in public education. That's union-speak for, "Spend more money!" which always translates to higher pay.

Classroom teachers apparently feel differently, according to Mr. Futernick's study. Teachers, like most professionally trained specialists, want to do their jobs – not fill out mounds of paperwork, meet artificial goals, be second-guessed by higher-ups or held to arbitrary standards.

Therein is the rub.

By nature, public bureaucracies impose regulations. Lack of regulations results in unaccountability. But for teachers with varying strengths and weaknesses teaching students with varying needs and abilities, this one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work well.

Nevertheless, parents demand some standard be met, otherwise there's no guarantee tax dollars buy anything. This is the Catch 22 of public schools: seeking both accountability and freedom.

The remedy is blindingly obvious. Parents should be free to choose where their children attend school. Many, we believe, would opt for the freedom of private institutions where bureaucratic grips are looser. Parents also would enjoy ultimate accountability. If dissatisfied, they could pull their children out and enroll them elsewhere.

Neither more money for public education nor unaccountable teachers will solve the public school mess. The solution is parents making free choices. Two major solutions to accountable alternatives unencumbered by public bureaucracy are charter schools and vouchers, which would enable families to draw on the $11,584 that public schools will spend per child next year.