Letter to the Editor: “Competition is Needed”

From the MN Sun Post, 2009 school board candidate Andrew Richter writes:

Monopolies are bad, competition is good. That is a principle of capitalism. If a monopoly develops in the private sector they are demonized and broken up.

Why don’t we then do the same thing in the public sector by breaking up the public school monopoly? We can do this by increasing competition through a system of vouchers and tuition tax credits.

To those who would oppose this, I ask you: what is wrong with taking the over $10,000 per year we are spending per student and giving it to parents in the form of a voucher or tax credit and letting them shop for the best education they can find?

If the goal of being in school is to get a great education, then why does it matter if it is a public employee or a private employee who is teaching kids?

To answer these questions, you must answer another question: who loses if there is a system of vouchers or tax credits? The answer is the teachers’ unions. The unions won’t be able to buy off legislators, illegally destroy competition, or elect their friends to the school board.

When casting your vote in the 2010 elections or in future school board elections, be mindful of any candidates that have thrown caution to the wind supporting failed administrations and their union cronies and vote them out.Our communities and children simply deserve far better than this. Remember folks, they are spending your money.

Everyone wins with competition, and with the school board willing to support Q-Comp with Race to the Top funding, we may yet see a charter school come to the district. Speaking of competition, we hope more school board candidates run in 2011 when three seats will be up for election. Richter, without union endorsement and very little funding, came within just 450 votes of getting one of four seats in 2009.