Bush uses Gulf Coast reconstruction to push for dismantling public education

The public education system has been under steady attack in recent years. The offensive kicked into high gear with consecutive budget cuts and was compounded by the passage of President Bush’s No Child Left Behind initiative, which introduced competition between schools via standardized testing. Schools which fell behind on state tests were penalized with the loss of funds, or—as was the case of 102 New Orleans schools last year—taken over by state education boards. In many cases this was followed by the introduction of for-profit management or individual charters.

Hurricane Katrina has given the Bush administration and its congressional allies an opportunity to broaden this attack. This current offensive takes place on two fronts: one national and direct—the passage of a reconstruction education voucher program; the other regional and implicit—the fragmentation of the New Orleans public education system into charter schools.

Charter Schools

The New Orleans parish public school system, barely solvent to begin with, has been thoroughly devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. After more than four months, only one third of the city’s population has returned. The dearth of tax revenues has compelled the district to fire 6,939 out of 7,000 employees who had been placed on disaster leave.

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http://www.wsws.org/articles/2006/jan2006/scho-j21.shtml