Leading the Way

January 2005

The presidential election has been decided, but educators don't need a crystal ball to predict the future. When it comes to public education, says NEA Secretary-Treasurer Lily Eskelsen, the Bush Administration has made it clear: the more "private" the better. That would be more vouchers, more private school tuition tax credits, more contracting out of public schools services. In short, more serious efforts to privatize public schools.

It's time to sound the alarm, says Eskelsen. Privatization—and the people behind it—deserve more public scrutiny, she says. And over the last year she's been on a personal crusade to give it just that. She's been speaking to groups both inside the Association and out about its perils. But her message isn't just about run-of-the-mill outsourcing, such as using private bus companies or corporate cafeteria workers. It's about privatization with a capital P, where the ultimate goal, she claims, is dismantling public education, Social Security, Medicare, public employee pension plans, and virtually every other government program—then turning them over to for-profit enterprise.

"We need our members, Republicans and Democrats alike, to understand this radical agenda and the people in high places who are behind it," she says.

The agenda is certainly not new. Economist Milton ("private is good, public is bad") Friedman and others have been peddling their ideas for 30 years or more. What's new, says Eskelsen, is that people like Friedman are no longer considered on the fringes of political thought. Today's privateers are politically well-connected, well-financed corporate venture capitalists who also happen to have President Bush's ear.

As part of her road show last fall, Eskelsen spoke to members and leaders in Maine. Rob Walker, president of the Maine Education Association, says her presentation was an eye opener for many members. "Lily really helped people connect the dots and see the bigger patterns," he says. Her breezy wit and lively style is entertaining, he says, but at the end of her well-documented slide show you get it:  "the privateers really do intend to suck the lifeblood out of public institutions."

How can the average educator tell if this bigger privatization agenda is moving forward? Eskelsen offers these warning signs: 

You see tax cuts for the wealthy while public institutions get bashed.

The strategy of the privateers is to make sure there are never enough funds to properly run quality public programs, Eskelsen says. They promote tax cuts (hefty ones for the wealthy) and recommend cutting programs (which the wealthy don't need). And all the while, they bad-mouth public programs and whip up hatred of all taxes, so people will resent paying taxes for underfunded and eventually underperforming public programs, she says. 

You hear buzz words like "choice."

You will never hear the privateers say that they want to destroy popular programs that parents and seniors and consumers like, Eskelsen says. Instead, you'll hear words like choice and ownership, as in "We want to give you a choice in your Social Security." Or your school. Or your public utility.

Be aware of the meaning behind the words, Eskelsen implores audiences. "They're just market-speak for, 'We're looking to erode a community service, so that we can give a for-profit opportunity to our cronies.' That's the bottom line."

You never hear about strict accountability measures for the private sector.

One of the hallmarks of this privatization strategy, says Eskelsen, is that new private entities don't get saddled with the same onerous regulations that get put on the public sector. A classic example: Public schools in Washington, D.C., get rated according to a single test, but private schools that receive voucher money don't have similar accountability measures. "There's no consistency between the regulations and the accountability of public institutions and the private firms that would like to replace those public institutions," Eskelsen says. "That's by design."

What can Association members do? Says Eskelsen: Share your concerns with Association leaders at the local, state, and national level, but don't stop there. Bring up privatization issues with administrators, school board members, parents, local business owners, Kiwanis club members. Talk with friends at church or over the backyard fence—anyone who cares about public schools. Give your community leaders a heads-up so that they are inoculated against the sales pitches of privateers.

"This is not just an issue for the Association," she says. "This is an issue for everyone who believes in the mission of public schools."

—Nancy Kochuk