Better than Bears v. Colts: Barrett v. Berkowitz, on Cable and Streaming
MarySue Barrett: But, again, it’s a tripping up of terminology.
Choice, public-private choice, non-starter in Illinois.
Jeff Berkowitz: Why is that a non-starter?
MarySue Barrett: It just is.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do you mean? That’s not an answer.
MarySue Barrett: It is an ideological trick bag where you are not going to see a per pupil voucher given to parents. You can see experimentation with that in other cities and states: Milwaukee and Washington, DC.
**********************************************
Tonight's City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," airing through-out the City of Chicago in its regular weekly time slot [8:30 pm, Cable Ch. 21], features MarySue Barrett, President, Metropolitan Planning Council, debating and discussing Education, Transportation and Suburban-City-Regional growth Issues and much, much more with show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz. You may also [Watch the show with MarySue Barrett on your computer].
*******************************************************
Go here for more about tonight's show, MarySue Barrett and the Metropolitan Planning Council, as well as a partial transcript of tonight's show. For another partial transcript of the show, see below.
*************************************************
The "Public Affairs," cinema page gives you a choice of more than twenty-five episodes of “Public Affairs," including this week's suburban show with State Sen. Dave Syverson [R-Rockford]tonight's City show with MarySue Barrett, Metropolitan Planning Council President, and recent shows with State Rep. Paul Froehlich, Eric Zorn-Dan Proft, John McCarron, Gery Chico, former State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger, Chicago Mayoral Candidate Dorothy Brown [D] and State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston], as well as interviews, discussions or remarks with or by U. S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giulianiand many, many more pols on our video podcast page[Watch here].
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MarySue Barrett: We [Metropolitan Planning Council] have been advocates of charter schools …and we would agree that the business community has presented a very strong argument that we need to dramatically blow out those parameters of experimentation. Again, we have done a lot of that. I don’t think we should get hung up on what the titles are: there are charter schools, there are contract schools and when a school is failing and needs to be closed down and reconstituted, there are lots of tools that the Chicago Public Schools has to date that ought to be provided to every district around the state.
Jeff Berkowitz: What about school vouchers and school choice? How about making that a part of the program…the idea that parents now …are getting about $12,000 per kid per year- that’s in kind, that’s what is being spent [from federal taxes, state taxes and local property taxes] on their education in Chicago. Would you favor the notion of giving at least a portion of those parents [a portion because it might be a pilot study] a $12,000 voucher that says you can stay in the public schools if you are happy; if not, go to the private school of your choice.
MarySue Barrett: I think there are limits to the experimentation that can happen in the short term.
Jeff Berkowitz: Why would that be one of those limits?
MarySue Barrett: But, again, it’s a tripping up of terminology.
Choice, public-private choice, non-starter in Illinois.
Jeff Berkowitz: Why is that a non-starter?
MarySue Barrett: It just is.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do you mean? That’s not an answer.
MarySue Barrett: It is an ideological trick bag where you are not going to see a per pupil voucher given to parents. You can see experimentation with that in other cities and states: Milwaukee and Washington, DC.
Jeff Berkowitz: You’re saying you couldn’t get it through the state legislature?
MarySue Barrett: But, look what is happening with 100 schools out of 600 in Chicago [the plan under Renaissance 2010]—that’s a significant percentage. Where, it doesn’t matter how many charters there are—you move toward a whole series of innovations: of private schools, of universities, of groups of teachers all being empowered to move forward. What can we do to help give those tools to other districts and schools around the State. So, public-public choice and experimentation where families really do have options, that’s very appealing.
Jeff Berkowitz: Here’s a copy of “The ABCs of School Choice,” put out by the Heartland Institute, you might want to take a look at that when you have time. [The booklet was prepared by the Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation ,with information obtained from many sources, including Heartland Institute. You may obtain a copy, for free, by contacting either the Friedman Foundation or Heartland Institute at the linked web sites.]
MarySue Barrett: Um-um.
Jeff Berkowitz: Just tell me, when you say it [school vouchers-school choice] is a non-starter, are you saying that is your political assessment…are you saying that even if you favored it, you and your supporters couldn’t get that through the state legislature.
MarySue Barrett: We are big believers in picking the right issues at the right time. So, here I speak for the Metropolitan Planning Council and as a person who has been in the civic and governmental world, you can spend a lot of time tilting at windmills and I have no interest in doing that. So, we like to pick issues that have broad appeal, that fill a need and that can demonstrate results. Right now, we know what works. We will never get to scale unless the state steps in with a package of funding, quality and accountability. And, we can do that this year.
****************************************
MarySue Barrett, as is airing tonight on Public Affairs [8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21, CANTV] on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. The show was recorded on January 7, 2007. You may also[watch the MarySue Barrett program here].
***************************************************
The City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," airs every Monday night at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV] throughout the City of Chicago.
****************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
******************
Choice, public-private choice, non-starter in Illinois.
Jeff Berkowitz: Why is that a non-starter?
MarySue Barrett: It just is.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do you mean? That’s not an answer.
MarySue Barrett: It is an ideological trick bag where you are not going to see a per pupil voucher given to parents. You can see experimentation with that in other cities and states: Milwaukee and Washington, DC.
**********************************************
Tonight's City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," airing through-out the City of Chicago in its regular weekly time slot [8:30 pm, Cable Ch. 21], features MarySue Barrett, President, Metropolitan Planning Council, debating and discussing Education, Transportation and Suburban-City-Regional growth Issues and much, much more with show host and legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz. You may also [Watch the show with MarySue Barrett on your computer].
*******************************************************
Go here for more about tonight's show, MarySue Barrett and the Metropolitan Planning Council, as well as a partial transcript of tonight's show. For another partial transcript of the show, see below.
*************************************************
The "Public Affairs," cinema page gives you a choice of more than twenty-five episodes of “Public Affairs," including this week's suburban show with State Sen. Dave Syverson [R-Rockford]tonight's City show with MarySue Barrett, Metropolitan Planning Council President, and recent shows with State Rep. Paul Froehlich, Eric Zorn-Dan Proft, John McCarron, Gery Chico, former State Sen. Steve Rauschenberger, Chicago Mayoral Candidate Dorothy Brown [D] and State Rep. Julie Hamos [D-Evanston], as well as interviews, discussions or remarks with or by U. S. Senators John McCain and Barack Obama, former NYC Mayor Rudy Giulianiand many, many more pols on our video podcast page[Watch here].
***************************************************
MarySue Barrett: We [Metropolitan Planning Council] have been advocates of charter schools …and we would agree that the business community has presented a very strong argument that we need to dramatically blow out those parameters of experimentation. Again, we have done a lot of that. I don’t think we should get hung up on what the titles are: there are charter schools, there are contract schools and when a school is failing and needs to be closed down and reconstituted, there are lots of tools that the Chicago Public Schools has to date that ought to be provided to every district around the state.
Jeff Berkowitz: What about school vouchers and school choice? How about making that a part of the program…the idea that parents now …are getting about $12,000 per kid per year- that’s in kind, that’s what is being spent [from federal taxes, state taxes and local property taxes] on their education in Chicago. Would you favor the notion of giving at least a portion of those parents [a portion because it might be a pilot study] a $12,000 voucher that says you can stay in the public schools if you are happy; if not, go to the private school of your choice.
MarySue Barrett: I think there are limits to the experimentation that can happen in the short term.
Jeff Berkowitz: Why would that be one of those limits?
MarySue Barrett: But, again, it’s a tripping up of terminology.
Choice, public-private choice, non-starter in Illinois.
Jeff Berkowitz: Why is that a non-starter?
MarySue Barrett: It just is.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do you mean? That’s not an answer.
MarySue Barrett: It is an ideological trick bag where you are not going to see a per pupil voucher given to parents. You can see experimentation with that in other cities and states: Milwaukee and Washington, DC.
Jeff Berkowitz: You’re saying you couldn’t get it through the state legislature?
MarySue Barrett: But, look what is happening with 100 schools out of 600 in Chicago [the plan under Renaissance 2010]—that’s a significant percentage. Where, it doesn’t matter how many charters there are—you move toward a whole series of innovations: of private schools, of universities, of groups of teachers all being empowered to move forward. What can we do to help give those tools to other districts and schools around the State. So, public-public choice and experimentation where families really do have options, that’s very appealing.
Jeff Berkowitz: Here’s a copy of “The ABCs of School Choice,” put out by the Heartland Institute, you might want to take a look at that when you have time. [The booklet was prepared by the Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation ,with information obtained from many sources, including Heartland Institute. You may obtain a copy, for free, by contacting either the Friedman Foundation or Heartland Institute at the linked web sites.]
MarySue Barrett: Um-um.
Jeff Berkowitz: Just tell me, when you say it [school vouchers-school choice] is a non-starter, are you saying that is your political assessment…are you saying that even if you favored it, you and your supporters couldn’t get that through the state legislature.
MarySue Barrett: We are big believers in picking the right issues at the right time. So, here I speak for the Metropolitan Planning Council and as a person who has been in the civic and governmental world, you can spend a lot of time tilting at windmills and I have no interest in doing that. So, we like to pick issues that have broad appeal, that fill a need and that can demonstrate results. Right now, we know what works. We will never get to scale unless the state steps in with a package of funding, quality and accountability. And, we can do that this year.
****************************************
MarySue Barrett, as is airing tonight on Public Affairs [8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21, CANTV] on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. The show was recorded on January 7, 2007. You may also[watch the MarySue Barrett program here].
***************************************************
The City of Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," airs every Monday night at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV] throughout the City of Chicago.
****************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
******************
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