The School Choice Debate Over At the Port Side

Having lobbed the grenade into debate myself, I have to say that I have rather been enjoying the school choice debate over at the Claremont Port Side's blog.

For those just hearing about it now, effectively, the new editor-in-chief of the Port Side, Michelle Kahn, has written a blog post decrying the fact that her brother will no longer be allowed to attend Beverly Hills Public Schools now that her family will be kicked out of the district. He has now become the "poster child" of this movement of parents who will not be allowed to send their children to one of the nicest public schools in the country.

I suggested, a bit innocently but not entirely so I must admit, that this might change her attitude on school choice. She did, after all, compare her family's treatment to those of the African-Americans denied their civil rights in the 1960s...

As per usual, Andrew Bluebond is defending the teachers' unions with the flimsiest of arguments, such as the one that it's a problem when "public money" goes to private or religious schools -- as if. The Supreme Court ruled that it was perfectly fine for students to use their opportunity scholarships to attend private (or religious) schools. I wonder if Andrew has much the same objection to veterans using their G.I. Bill money to attend private schools? And if he has such problems with public money going to religious or private schools, how he feels about Pell grants that enable some poor students to get a private school education?

You might remember that he was rather soundly defeated last year in the school choice debate with Jesse Blumenthal and told me to shut up when I ask him why it was that he attended private schools. Anyways, here's my comment from the school choice debate on the Port Side blog.

I, for one, enjoyed the irony of Andrew lecturing us about the continuum of school choice.

As I mentioned in his ill-fated debate with Jesse Blumenthal, he attended private schools for high school, as did many of the staff of the Claremont Port Side or members of the Claremont Democrats. The few who did not attend private schools lived in posh enough suburbs so that they could have all the benefits of a private school style education.

Lest I be called a hypocrite for pointing this out, I, too, attended a private school for high school. But I have put my money where my feet went, and happily — okay, sort of happily — attended a private school. It would give me no greater pleasure than to have all of America’s children have access to that same kind of schooling, but I daresay that that’s a long time coming, wedded as the Left has been to the NEA and all the other teachers’ unions who so coldly ignore their charges — the children themselves!

I’m glad Michelle may be coming around, but it is rather late in the offing. My condolences to her brother and her family, but maybe now they will know what it is like to be denied the kind of education you feel as if you deserve?