Pawlenty's educational plan -- killing the american dream

Pawlenty unveils education funding plan

This was buried away in the typically lousy coverage of Governor Pawlenty's plan for Minnesota education:

Other features of the 2005 Pawlenty education plan include allowing local school boards to raise taxes for such things as teacher performance pay, special education costs and overdue maintenance, and allowing school districts to raise more money through referendums.

In other words, back to local funding of education. Back to wealthy districts having good quality education, and poor districts making do with recycled texts and decaying classrooms. Back to making special education funding (note how it's carved out) something to be left to slowly disappear.

A powerful move away from the american dream, a dream of a decent educational opportunity for every american. A move to giving more to those who have, and less to those who lack.

Of all the sins of America, the one that most bothers me is local funding of public education. Nothing is a better guarantee of enduring poverty.