Saturday, November 26, 2005
Political Purge
From an editorial in the Hutchinson News: "The Corkins-Harden team wants to unleash the dog-eat-dog world of market-force competition on kindergarten teachers, middle school counselors and high school band directors.
"And, to accomplish that dubious goal with limited institutional resistance, the Corkins-Harden team has initiated what amounts to a political purge of the Kansas Department of Education. Team members have asked department employees a series of questions, including what they find most satisfying and frustrating about their jobs. The outside ideologues also ask education department staffers for their opinions on litmus-test issues such as school choice, school vouchers, charter schools and parental empowerment...
"Remember the days when Kansans placed a priority on education and checked partisan politics at the schoolhouse door? Six radical Republicans on the state board of education who hired Corkins, who then employed Harden, have foolishly undermined that sound operating principle."
"And, to accomplish that dubious goal with limited institutional resistance, the Corkins-Harden team has initiated what amounts to a political purge of the Kansas Department of Education. Team members have asked department employees a series of questions, including what they find most satisfying and frustrating about their jobs. The outside ideologues also ask education department staffers for their opinions on litmus-test issues such as school choice, school vouchers, charter schools and parental empowerment...
"Remember the days when Kansans placed a priority on education and checked partisan politics at the schoolhouse door? Six radical Republicans on the state board of education who hired Corkins, who then employed Harden, have foolishly undermined that sound operating principle."
