Thread / rant: school board meetings where people invoke how much residents pay for housing when talking about their right to demand (_insert demand here_) from the local public school system. /1
Children are entitled to a good education b/c THEY EXIST, not because their parents pay a lot for housing. Think about the inverse - kids in lower-priced areas deserve less? renters? families who are behind on their taxes? families who inherited their homes? transfer students? /2
I get it - people who can afford it buy expensive homes for "better" districts, and they want to be able to make demands. By all means, demand a great education for your kids. But do it because *all* kids deserve a great education. Not because you paid a lot for your house. /3
And if you're a school board member, district leader, etc., please never ever do this. It might resonate with many parents, but it undermines (even if subtly) the principle of educational equity and children's entitlement to a good and equal education. /4
Lastly: Taxes are not prices you pay that entitle you to something based on your wealth. We all have the right to demand that public goods be of high quality for everyone, regardless of what we pay. The very idea of public goods goes against the idea that wealth gets you more. /5
Rich people aren't entitled to more policing; poor people don't deserve terrible (and deadly) policing. Kids in rich districts don't deserve better educations than kids in poor districts. How we as public officials and as parents talk about this matters. End of rant. /6
(also speaking of blood boiling adventures in #publiceducation everyone should be listening to #nicewhiteparents by @serial)
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