Our
public school district, like public schools across the U.S., is in
a time of great stress. Budgets are tight, enrollments are rising,
diversity is expanding, and the pressures to reduce staff and
privatize jobs is unrelenting. I view public education as a sacred
trust that is worth supporting and defending. Education is a ministry
of the highest order. I believe that people who are interested in
nonviolence must speak out in defense of public education.

Privatization
and staff reduction puts the burden of responsibility in the wrong
place. The problem is not that custodians, teachers, librarians,
nurses, aides and others are making too much money. In Kansas, the
budget crisis was created by the state legislature and the governor
when they decided to eliminate income taxes for the wealthiest
330,000 people in the state.
It
is worth noting in the context of public
education the word
public
comes from the Latin poplicus,
meaning “pertaining to the people.” The word private,
in contrast, comes from the Latin, privare,
which gives rise to the word “deprived.” The Greek word for a
strictly private person is idiotes,
from which we get the word idiot,
meaning a person who does stupid things—like robbing the public
purse for private gain.
Although
assurances are given that privatization will save millions of dollars, this is not guaranteed. I would be surprised if privatization
contracts contain any clawback agreements that would reimburse the
school district if the savings promised were not met. I invite you to
go online and read about school districts that have privatized
custodial services, sold custodial supplies and equipment, and
created an employment environment that invites high turnover and low
wages with few benefits. More than one school district reports they
had to spend millions in un-budgeted expenses for custodial services
after they voted to privatize these same services to save money. The
Chicago public schools is a well-documented study in the failure of
privatization.
Schools are public places where people learn self-respect, gain new skills, and learn the values of cooperation and civic virtue. They are meeting places that offer the opportunity for creative inter-generational interaction crossing lines of race, class, and religion. Without this kind of public space the fabric of society soon becomes frayed, and public trust in our institutions begins to unravel.
Schools are public places where people learn self-respect, gain new skills, and learn the values of cooperation and civic virtue. They are meeting places that offer the opportunity for creative inter-generational interaction crossing lines of race, class, and religion. Without this kind of public space the fabric of society soon becomes frayed, and public trust in our institutions begins to unravel.
Fighting
to save the jobs of public school custodians is about much more than
saving jobs—important as it is that we do this. Fair compensation
for everyone who works in our public schools is about claiming,
reclaiming, and protecting a vital public space and place that makes
and keeps civil society civil. The classroom is where we first learn
what it means to be “one nation, indivisible.”
Rev. David Hanson
Rev. David Hanson
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