Martire, CTBA, WTTW, Education Reform and Tax Swap Time: Cable and Streaming
Jeff Berkowitz: ...So, giving the parents this educational choice, this control over purchasing power, how is it that the parents and their kids are worse off?
Ralph Martire: ...You see, one of the things that you have glossed over is—one of the advantages charter schools have over the regular public school system is that they can get rid of the dead weight. They can get rid of kids that are misbehaving... Public schools can’t. That’s a real differentiator… [Go here for the rest of Martire’s answer].
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This week’s suburban edition of Public Affairs features our discussion from earlier this year with Ralph Martire, architect of HB 750 [the Tax Swap] and the Executive Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability ["CTBA"]. Like old wine, “Public Affairs,” shows with Martire get better with age. Go to the end of this post for the suburban airing schedule of “Public Affairs.” You may also watch the February 25, 2007 show with Martire, as well as shows with Obama, Giuliani, McCain, Bean and many other pols and pundits on your computer at www.PublicAffairsTV.com.
With the decline and fall of the Governor’s Gross Receipts Tax last week, the Dems and perhaps some Republicans seem to think it is Tax Swap time [boost the income tax and lower the property tax, but with a big time net increase in total tax revenue paid by individuals in the State of Illinois]. Somewhat lost in the shuffle is the previously, much touted notion of a trade of more education funding by the state for “true,” education reform.
This “trade,” had been promoted by the “more spending on education,” lobbies, who have argued that two to four billion dollars more per year devoted to education could be justified by the proposed “education reforms,” that the State’s consumers of education would be getting. Watch here, for example, the January 7, 2007 discussion with Metropolitan Planning Council President MarySue Barrett on that topic. "Public Affairs," resurrects this week a discussion of real education reform and which reforms, if any, Martire and perhaps his labor union backers support. [See here].
Go here for a summary of topics included in this week’s show with Martire and a partial transcript of this week’s show, including Martire’s take on school vouchers and charter schools. What was most interesting was Ralph’s answer to this question: [Indeed, when you watch the show you might ask yourself—Did Martire answer it? It is one of the hardest questions, on Public Affairs, for the host to get the guests to answer]
Jeff Berkowitz: I want to know if you give this choice to these [Chicago Public School] parents now- one out of every two with kids in a failing school, or more; one out of every two with kids not reading at grade level, how is it that they are worse off? Because, they can go back to that public school [if they want]. Or, they can try the charter school, Or, they can try the voucher school. So, giving the parents this educational choice, this control over purchasing power, how is it that the parents and their kids are worse off?
Ralph Martire: Well, No. 1, they don’t have a real choice because the private school is not going to take them—the charter school might because the charter school can get rid of their kid, which the public school can’t. You see, one of the things that you have glossed over is—one of the advantages charter schools have over the regular public school system is that they can get rid of the dead weight. They can get rid of kids that are misbehaving in class. They can get rid of kids that are discipline problems. They can get rid of kids that threaten teachers. Public schools can’t. That’s a real differentiator… [Go here for the rest of Martire’s answer].
Also, for a look back at Martire’s participation in WTTW’s idea of a “balanced,” discussion of education funding on Chicago’s Public TV station two years ago, Go here. As the French say, the more things change, the more the stay the same. We can expect, no doubt, a similar, ideologically homogeneous panel and host from WTTW’s Chicago Tonight to pop up any night, now, to tell viewers about the "Consensus for higher state taxes," and "more education funding."
Although, to be fair, WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, in the last month, aired one of it’s more balanced segments ever: a discussion from a panel consisting of two individuals arguing to legalize, if various conditions are met, the citizenship status of the 12 million, or so, illegal immigrants in the country, and two individuals arguing against that. Indeed, the Chicago Tonight panel was so balanced that most of the public television station’s viewers nearly fell out of their chairs, demonstrating the risks incurred when Public TV stations become fairandbalanced.
***************************************************
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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Ralph Martire: ...You see, one of the things that you have glossed over is—one of the advantages charter schools have over the regular public school system is that they can get rid of the dead weight. They can get rid of kids that are misbehaving... Public schools can’t. That’s a real differentiator… [Go here for the rest of Martire’s answer].
*************************************
This week’s suburban edition of Public Affairs features our discussion from earlier this year with Ralph Martire, architect of HB 750 [the Tax Swap] and the Executive Director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability ["CTBA"]. Like old wine, “Public Affairs,” shows with Martire get better with age. Go to the end of this post for the suburban airing schedule of “Public Affairs.” You may also watch the February 25, 2007 show with Martire, as well as shows with Obama, Giuliani, McCain, Bean and many other pols and pundits on your computer at www.PublicAffairsTV.com.
With the decline and fall of the Governor’s Gross Receipts Tax last week, the Dems and perhaps some Republicans seem to think it is Tax Swap time [boost the income tax and lower the property tax, but with a big time net increase in total tax revenue paid by individuals in the State of Illinois]. Somewhat lost in the shuffle is the previously, much touted notion of a trade of more education funding by the state for “true,” education reform.
This “trade,” had been promoted by the “more spending on education,” lobbies, who have argued that two to four billion dollars more per year devoted to education could be justified by the proposed “education reforms,” that the State’s consumers of education would be getting. Watch here, for example, the January 7, 2007 discussion with Metropolitan Planning Council President MarySue Barrett on that topic. "Public Affairs," resurrects this week a discussion of real education reform and which reforms, if any, Martire and perhaps his labor union backers support. [See here].
Go here for a summary of topics included in this week’s show with Martire and a partial transcript of this week’s show, including Martire’s take on school vouchers and charter schools. What was most interesting was Ralph’s answer to this question: [Indeed, when you watch the show you might ask yourself—Did Martire answer it? It is one of the hardest questions, on Public Affairs, for the host to get the guests to answer]
Jeff Berkowitz: I want to know if you give this choice to these [Chicago Public School] parents now- one out of every two with kids in a failing school, or more; one out of every two with kids not reading at grade level, how is it that they are worse off? Because, they can go back to that public school [if they want]. Or, they can try the charter school, Or, they can try the voucher school. So, giving the parents this educational choice, this control over purchasing power, how is it that the parents and their kids are worse off?
Ralph Martire: Well, No. 1, they don’t have a real choice because the private school is not going to take them—the charter school might because the charter school can get rid of their kid, which the public school can’t. You see, one of the things that you have glossed over is—one of the advantages charter schools have over the regular public school system is that they can get rid of the dead weight. They can get rid of kids that are misbehaving in class. They can get rid of kids that are discipline problems. They can get rid of kids that threaten teachers. Public schools can’t. That’s a real differentiator… [Go here for the rest of Martire’s answer].
Also, for a look back at Martire’s participation in WTTW’s idea of a “balanced,” discussion of education funding on Chicago’s Public TV station two years ago, Go here. As the French say, the more things change, the more the stay the same. We can expect, no doubt, a similar, ideologically homogeneous panel and host from WTTW’s Chicago Tonight to pop up any night, now, to tell viewers about the "Consensus for higher state taxes," and "more education funding."
Although, to be fair, WTTW’s Chicago Tonight, in the last month, aired one of it’s more balanced segments ever: a discussion from a panel consisting of two individuals arguing to legalize, if various conditions are met, the citizenship status of the 12 million, or so, illegal immigrants in the country, and two individuals arguing against that. Indeed, the Chicago Tonight panel was so balanced that most of the public television station’s viewers nearly fell out of their chairs, demonstrating the risks incurred when Public TV stations become fairandbalanced.
***************************************************
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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