I’m trying to weigh which would be a worse scenario: If the school district were operated like a business; or if employees had to get voter approval for better working conditions.
What would happen if workers, instead of taking their complaints to union negotiating committees, printed yard signs and coordinated letter-writing campaigns? They could come up with catchy slogans like, “15 cents an hour: For our families, for our future.”
Factory workers would probably generate more sympathy and garner more votes than scientists or lawyers.
It’s a ridiculous picture, but also contains some reality. Businesses, especially retail, have to be in tune with the public. If they’re not offering a product that meets a need, shoppers will vote with their feet and take their patronage down the street. Workers also know if they’re not productive, they can be voted out of office and replaced with a new candidate.
On the other hand, the St. Joseph School District serves a vital public function. Its purpose is not to turn a profit or create dividends for shareholders. The district’s output is no less than the leaders, workers, parents and citizens of tomorrow.
Yet even schools are affected by economic conditions. They cannot be healthier than the property owners who support them.
In a time of such economic turmoil, you wonder what would happen if the school district were operated like a business.
Not too many companies are planning major construction projects these days; nor are many workers asking for pay raises or nicer working environments. The district, however, is asking for both a levy renewal and a bond approval.
If the school was a Fortune 500 business, it would lay off its highest paid middle management. Only the positions essential for day-to-day operation would be filled, and at the lowest possible wage.
Extra-curricular activities would be expected to contribute to the bottom line or get cut. Football and band programs could survive, but academic teams and cross country would be vulnerable.
From a profit-and-loss standpoint, school consolidation makes sense. The district wouldn’t operate so many aging, inefficient facilities within such close proximity to each other when the raw product, if you will, can be easily transported.
Thankfully, our most precious resource is not handled like corn or iron ore. Educators do a fantastic job, often times in the face of many challenges.
But when investors see mismanagement by many corporate executives, school officials should not be surprised when taxpayers ask hard questions and expect accountability.
