Washblog

Conservative parents (and even some progressive ones) bemoan the loss of local control over schools. Washington Teachers points to how the conservative notion of lower taxes at seemingly any cost is having the intended effect of taking control of their kids educations away from parents in Vader and handing it to their neighbors in Castle Rock. After the failure of three school bond levies, the Vader School District packed up its bags and now Castle Rock school district will serve the Vader and Ryderwood areas.

Two Vader school board members will hold non-voting positions on Castle Rock's board until the district lines are redrawn and the old Vader district becomes one position on the Castle Rock board. Not only are they deciding to bus their kids at least 15 miles south to a Castle Rock school, they are also choosing less representation in the decisions their schools makes. Or as I Thought I Think put it: The people have spoken, and they've said, "Commuter kids!"

I took a quick look at election results for Vader, and it seems like the school district might have been saved had simple majority been around earlier (don't forget to support Simple Majority), but this brings up a broader point. If we want local control over government -- an active government close to the people and close to what local communities want -- we need to support it. This is where the conservative philosophy falls apart for me. They complain their taxes are too high, then they complain that when they do have a problem with their schools, no one ever listens to them.