School Choice for Mayor Adrian Fenty, Not for the Rest of D.C.

Katherine Mangu-Ward | August 27, 2009

So, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty pledged to send his kids to public schools four years ago, in the misguided belief that letting his kids suffer in the capital's terrible schools will somehow mean he doesn't have to address school choice as a serious policy issue.

Flash forward to 2009, and he is (a) not addressing school choice as a serious policy issue, and (b) his kids are enrolled in public schools, just like everyone else. Sort of. His neighborhood school—West Elementary, at 14th and Farragut Streets NW—isn't the greatest. Magically, his twin sons are enrolled in the much, much better Lafayette Elementary, on the far side of Rock Creek Park.

Reporters start asking questions, Fenty refuses to answer—thus indicating that he obviously did call in special favors—and then gets testy, calling family decisions about his kids' education "private." Parents across the city snort and mutter something about how nice it would be if they got to make private decisions about where their kids went to school, too.

Meanwhile, D.C. is running an ad campaign to convince people that they city's public schools are a-OK. The radio ads trumpet an award received by a single school, and conclude: "Go public and get a great free education!" The campaign only costs $9,000, less than the system spends on a single pupil. But it's not the cost that's disturbing, it's the message: "Hey! Public education is free! For something you're not paying for, it's not so bad, right?" 

UPDATE: While many of the people who are stuck using D.C. public schools don't pay much in taxes, I should have noted that public education is not actually free, and TANSTAAFL, and all that. (Or, I suppose, TANSTAAFE, where the "E" is education.)

And let's not forget the dear, departed D.C. voucher program:

Comments

|8.27.09 @ 3:31PM|#

Ah, this is why DC doesn't want gun ownership to be legal.

|8.27.09 @ 3:34PM|#

"Go public and get a great free education!"

If its free, why are property taxes so high?

|8.27.09 @ 3:40PM|#

"Hey! Public education is free! For something you're not paying for, it's not so bad, right?"

The exact reason why ObamaCare should not be passed. Problems won't be fixed, just explained away.

Joe M|8.27.09 @ 3:44PM|#

The the exact reason, but definitely *a* reason.

|8.27.09 @ 3:47PM|#

Pedantism is an ugly girl at a dance. Even if someone does dance with her, it doesn't mean she's desired.

Warty|8.27.09 @ 4:06PM|#

Fat girls have their uses, SugarFree.

Art-P.O.G.|8.27.09 @ 4:10PM|#

Warty,

he said *ugly* girls. But good to know you've got fat girls on the brain. :)

|8.27.09 @ 4:10PM|#

While many of the people who are stuck using D.C. public schools don't pay much in taxes,

Even if nobody who used the public schools paid taxes, education still wouldn't be free. "Free" does not mean "paid for by somebody else's taxes".

Props to the Mayor, BTW, on his MILFriffic wife.

Warty|8.27.09 @ 4:12PM|#

Art, don't be so fucking pedantic.

|8.27.09 @ 4:13PM|#

That is all the problems of DC politics rolled into one episode. There is chronism, statism and the rock creek park divide. All right there.

Medic001|8.27.09 @ 4:16PM|#

Hey! Public education is free! For something you're not paying for, it's not so bad, right?"
-- Its not FUCKING free! I'm paying for it out of MY TAXES!!!


And I don't even have children...so tell me again WHY an adult with no children is paying for a school I WILL NEVER send my children too (if and when I decided to have any)

|8.27.09 @ 4:21PM|#

Like many other libertarians, I strongly support school vouchers because I hate the poor.

Or something like that.

Art-P.O.G.|8.27.09 @ 4:22PM|#

Dammit, Warty, it's an education thread! I have to be pedagogic pedantic!

Warty|8.27.09 @ 4:53PM|#

No, you have to be pederastic.

Mike M.|8.27.09 @ 4:56PM|#

D.C. is running an ad campaign to convince people that they city's public schools are a-OK.

Ummmm, good luck with that, chief.

|8.27.09 @ 5:15PM|#

"Like many other libertarians, I strongly support school vouchers because I hate the poor."

Nothing says you hate the poor like wanting to pay for their private education.

creech|8.27.09 @ 5:16PM|#

How's the government school ranked that is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.'s neighborhood school?

J_B|8.27.09 @ 5:24PM|#

Economics textbooks have been arguing the positive externalities of education for a while now. Even if you accept this at face value, the theory itself proposes that positive externalities are only to be partially subsidized with the rest being paid by the actual users. That would lead public schools to charge parents some amount of tuition, and reduce the dependence on funding from property taxes.

Joe M|8.27.09 @ 5:32PM|#

Nothing worse than being pedertastic while making grammatical errors.

|8.27.09 @ 5:40PM|#

Neologism of the frikkin year - pedertastic.

Nipplemancer|8.27.09 @ 5:59PM|#

pedertastic sounds like a description of particularly arousing child pornography and i would like you to not use it again. pervert

|8.27.09 @ 6:08PM|#

pedertastic sounds like a description of particularly arousing child pornography and i would like you to not use it again. pervert


Says the guy whose handle sounds like some kinky reindeer holiday porn.

Paul|8.27.09 @ 6:32PM|#

he said *ugly* girls. But good to know you've got fat girls on the brain. :)

Word, some people say this girl is fat. If that's fat, I say bring it on.

|8.27.09 @ 6:36PM|#

Paul, that is what's known as a woman with a big ass. Not to be confused with a big ass woman.

|8.27.09 @ 7:20PM|#

Is there any private foundation committed to providing school vouchers? That seems to be the only way to getting around the teacher union, democrats, and entrenched interests. A private foundation could probably run a voucher program in a much better way than the government in any case. Of course, it would have to raise an enormous amount of money to challenge a city school system, but it could start small and grow.

hmm|8.27.09 @ 7:50PM|#

Any man that won't do what is best for his children within his means deserves a beating. Any man who won't do what is best for his children within his means for some bullshit political statement should be shot. In the face. With a potato gun. Full of nails. Until no longer conscious. Revived. And start all over again with the potato gun.

Setting aside all politics not doing right by your own kids within your means is one of the most reprehensible things a father can do. Useless fuck.

EscapedWestOfTheBigMuddy|8.27.09 @ 7:56PM|#

hmmm,

So, leaving aside the small matter of what happens to the unprivileged residents of his polity, does this mean you support his pulling of strings to get the boys in a better public school, or that you deplore his failure to send them to a private institution? Or both?

hmm|8.27.09 @ 8:08PM|#

Setting aside all politic...

EscapedWestOfTheBigMuddy|8.27.09 @ 8:11PM|#

hmm,

Sorry, that wasn't meant to rile you up. I agree to set the political issue aside: political grandstanding with the future of young'uns you are responsible for is deplorable.

hmm|8.27.09 @ 8:16PM|#

I wasn't riled. I just removed the political aspect. He should do what is right by his kids within his means. (of course legal) After that he deals with whatever consequences.

|8.27.09 @ 9:42PM|#

Adam: Yes, the D.C. Scholarship Fund (which administers the public voucher program in D.C.) started out as, and still is, an organization that provides privately funded vouchers to students. Anyone can donate and support private-school scholarships for D.C. kids.

JB|8.28.09 @ 2:23AM|#

Fenty is another hypocrite like Obama.

DC and the US would be better without both of them.