Public School Booster Matt Damon to Put His Kids in L.A. Private School
Matt Damon is moving to Los Angeles. When he gets there, he's going to enroll his four daughters in private school.
No biggie, right? Rich, famous people put their kids in fancy private schools all the time. He probably looked at his options and made the best decision he could for his family.
Just one thing: Damon, whose mom is a public school teacher, frequently makes a big stink about the importance of public education. A really big stink.
This weekend, Damon told the Guardian:
Sending our kids in my family to private school was a big, big, big deal. And it was a giant family discussion. But it was a circular conversation, really, because ultimately we don't have a choice.
Let's pause and enjoy that phrasing for a moment: "We don't have a choice."
Of course, Damon does have a choice. Anyone with the resources to pay for private education already enjoys school choice.
Damon said he wanted his kids to have "that kind of progressive education no longer exists in the public system." Sounds lovely. But for the folks locked into the system Damon supports, such preferences are irrelevant.
Damon has been critical of various aspects on modern public schooling, including the focus on testing and quantitative measures of success. But he is also vehemently opposed to alternate providers (especially those that make a profit) making any headway in a system that badly needs diversification. Damon says he will continue to campaign for change is the public school system, but—breaking news here—it is "tough" to change policy.