Achieving Economy of Scale In Our Schools

01/15/2006

Paul Munnis

The State of MN has taken over responsibility for public education but since having done so nothing of substance has been accomplished. There are immediate benefits that can be harvested and we must demand that they are done starting in 2007.

First, there is no reason that textbooks for core curriculum cannot be standardized and purchased en-masse thus delivering a better purchase price and discount to our schools. Also, the State needs to take a hard look at purchasing electronic books, especially in fields with a rapidly changing knowledge base. Such books would come with an update contract and a student would log in, attach the book to the Internet, and then download the updates. In a similar sense, paper, pencils, stationary supplies, and a variety of data processing supplies could be standardized and entered into a purchase contract yielding significant discounts. Even cafeteria menus and food items could be standardized and volume discount purchasing performed.

What about fuel oil and gasoline? Contracts could be negotiated and discount fuel cards issued with a major supplier thus achieving more economy-of-scale savings for taxpayers. Also janitorial supplies could be standardized and purchased under volume contract.

It is also time for the State to look at a standardized teacher contract. We are not talking here about cheating people out of their income. We are saying that a teacher in a small town and a teacher in a big city are supposed to be interchangeable parts. If so, then pay them as such.

It is time for the State Department of Education to create materials to help the classroom teacher and our students achieve the goals of obtaining passing grades on standardized achievement tests. Thus a student should be able to log onto the State Education Department Internet site and to execute drill programs in interesting formats for drilling of the material and for providing pre-test assessment to teachers.

It is time for the State to standardize computer equipment purchases for schools including broadband Internet access.

I think the State needs to also standardize security in our schools. I am speaking here about the health and safety of the school facilities and their occupants. Healthy building standards need to be established, an audit performed of our school facilities, and a methodical upgrade plan developed and applied over time and all across our state to achieve healthy school buildings.

Also, I think that the use of local police forces to perform on premise security is needed. Plans to work with local police chiefs to achieve this level of security, including access control, student tracking, and hallway video camera monitoring are all needed including metal detectors. Those who would harass, bully, intimidate, threaten, or disrupt, must be removed from the premises. Students and workers must be assured of a safe and healthy environment. Lockers need to be inspected for illegal drugs, weapons, and contraband.

Retiring teachers should be allowed to develop circuit rider courses that they will teach on contract to rural and urban schools. The course content and materials should be reviewed and certified and retired teachers should be recruited to deliver such instruction. We cannot afford to lose the human capital that these teachers represent.

So these are a few things we can do to capitalize upon the State having taken responsibility for the schools. It’s time to end the politics of education and to start delivering the promise of education to students across Minnesota.

A few other things are also worth mentioning. H1B students, foreign exchange students, and the children of illegal immigrants all need to be charged tuition to attend our public schools. Taxpayers should not subsidize these groups any longer. It’s getting too expensive.

Minnesota Corporations must be assessed a portion of their income to support schools that are supplying workers to them. Much of this money should go to fund grades 13 and 14 as finishing classes for those who will become corporate workers and these workers should be certificated. Even the U.S. military should contribute to this fund in return for recruiting rights within our state.

Minnesotans voted for the State to take responsibility for public schools in return for an expectation that it would provide benefits for us. It is now time for the State to deliver.