
<p>There have been a lot of reports about the crisis-level shortage of teachers in the PUBLIC school systems. ; I emphasized &#8220;public” because the crisis is apparently not happening in the private and parochial school systems – and that is a significant point. ; This is true even though private and parochial schools often have slightly lower salaries.</p>



<p>A friend, who runs a number of charter schools once told me that he can hire teachers away from the union-run public schools despite lower pay because of “conditions” in the schools, oppressive bureaucracy and regulations, lack of backing by administrators, and the unreasonable demands of teacher unions.</p>



<p>There is also a question if there is a teacher shortage crisis. ; As a consultant for the Chicago and Detroit Boards of Education, I saw the numbers. ; In both systems, there were enough union teachers on the payroll to bring the classroom size down to under 10 students. ; The problem was that many teachers were in the “administration” – too often with make-work or no work jobs. ; Some teachers were on year-long sabbaticals, taking advantage of prolonged maternity leave or generous “sick leaves” without a note from the doctor, or at home on dubious to phony workers’ compensation cases. ; Those benefits have a level of legitimacy, but in too many cases, they were being grossly abused.</p>



<p>What is less reported is the hemorrhaging of STUDENTS from the public schools. ; The New York City school system has lost 600,000 students. ; There are literally empty classrooms. ; Twenty percent of New York schools have fewer than 300 students. ; Even worse in Los Angeles, where 25 percent of the schools have less than 300 students. ; In Boston, the number is nearing 50 percent. ; Those numbers come from Chalkbeat/AP analysis.</p>



<p>In Chicago, it is one out of three. ; The local PBS affiliate WTTW-TV had this to report.</p>



<p><em>“On a recent morning inside Chalmers School of Excellence on Chicago’s West Side, five preschool and kindergarten students finished up drawings. Four staffers, including a teacher and a tutor, chatted with them about colors and shapes.”</em></p>



<p>The declining student population in public schools is not new. ; It has largely been due to the inferior quality of education when compared to private and parochial school systems &#8212; and in the segregated minority communities, the problem of drugs and violence abound in schools. ; ;</p>



<p>The decline in the student population has been occurring for years. ; However, the Covid shutdown and increased controversy over curriculum and masking policies have exacerbated the situation. Many who switched to homeschooling are now sticking with that option. ; While public school attendance declines, there are waiting lists at private, parochial, and charter schools. ; The already troublesome dropout rate has gotten worse.</p>



<p>Most reports of teacher shortages in public school systems are based on past staffing needs. A readjustment based on reduced attendance and a change in classroom size would go a long way to ameliorate the situation.</p>



<p>One of the obstacles, however, is union-supported rules and regulations that lock in the past. ; In Chicago, a union-backed feather-bedding law forbids the closing or consolidation of schools until 2025. ; There are also barriers to reducing the workforce base on the reduction of students.</p>



<p>The most obvious way to address multiple public-school issues is … school choice, allowing parents to direct the taxpayer school funding to any school of their choice. ; That would include public, charter, private or parochial. ; That would allow parents and students to select the best options for themselves – and free students from being forcibly confined to largely segregated, failing, and dangerous schools.</p>



<p>If you look closely at the public school systems, you will see that the first priority of the politicians, unions, and education establishment is NOT the education of the student, but a commitment to a building – where too often quality education is not taking place.</p>



<p>Where public schools are performing to the satisfaction of parents and students, they will still have a competitive advantage cost-wise. ; The only threat to the existence of a public school is if they are failing to provide the one product the public demands … good education, development of kids for college, and career-level employment. ; ;</p>



<p>If the education does not meet the needs of parents, students, and society, why keep the kids trapped in these underperforming buildings?</p>



<p>Of course, the answer is … money. ; Every child in a public school means money from the government to the unions … and to the local politicians. ; That is why the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers are among the largest, most well-funded lobbying organizations in America.</p>



<p>Just as college students through government loans are the conduit for taxpayer money flowing to the institutions of higher learning, each child in a public school means money from the state. ; The unions get rich from dues and control of billion-dollar pension plans – and in some cases, health insurance coverage.</p>



<p>Control of the building also means money and power. ; They involve billions of dollars in politically-controlled contracts – union construction, janitor, and food service. ; Political patronage, to be precise. ; Just for perspective, the Chicago school system is essentially the largest restaurant chain in the state – and among the largest in the nation. ; It is among the largest construction and maintenance companies. ; As are other urban school systems. ; ;</p>



<p>The physical facilities of public schools are among the most politically corrupted operations in any city. ; Billions of dollars of contracts are based on political connections – often paybacks for financial support of the local political leadership.</p>



<p>With the reduction in student populations … the reduction in teacher numbers and needs … and all the controversies swirling around public school education, this is the ideal time to create universal school choice. ; That would mean that the money taxpayers spend on education will benefit the students – not the politicians, the unions, and the education lobby.</p>



<p>Finally, there is always that argument against school choice based on separation of church and state – being interpreted as meaning no tax money should flow to parochial schools. ; That is utter nonsense. ; ;</p>



<p>The Pell Grant Program that progressives praise allows the student to take the taxpayer money to any school of his or her choice – even Notre Dame or Loyola University. ; That IS a school choice. ; And it works really well. ; All we need to do is to extend the concept to elementary and secondary schools.</p>



<p>The choice is clear. ; Do we spend our tax money on educating children … or do we keep them imprisoned in failing schools for the financial and political benefit of a corrupt education/union/political cabal? ; ;</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Shortage of teachers? How about shortage of students?
