Mayors nationwide, fed up with under-performing schools, now want to place the responsibility for those schools performances in the hands of parents.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors unanimously endorsed “parent trigger” laws which would allow parents to usurp the authority of elected school boards and take immediate action, typically if a majority of the families agree that such change is needed. The conference acted at their meeting June 16 in Orlando, Fla.
“Mayors understand at a local level that most parents lack the tools they need to turn their schools around,” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Reuters.
The struggle over school control seems to be weakening teacher’s union’s power as parents would have authority over teachers as well. Unions have usually had a strong relationship with Democrats, but with Democratic mayors being vocal in support of the law, unions may struggle to maintain their foothold.
Organizations like the National Education Association (NEA) are fighting back against the law saying that the approach results in more than meets the eye. They point to Florida, where a fight to approve parent trigger laws was defeated in March because people felt like it was just being done to allow charter schools to move in.
“This bill would have dismantled and defunded our public education system,” said Senate Minority Leader Nan Rich (D) to the Miami Herald. “It would have allowed private, for-profit management companies to take advantage of our public assets.”
Despite that, parent-activist groups are praising the mayors’ approach. L.A.-based organization Parent Revolution praised parent triggers and they could be the key ingredient in turning around under-performing schools.
“This vote represents an historic step forward for the parent power movement and the education reform movement both within the Democratic Party as well as in dozens of big and small cities across the nation,” a statement on the group’s website said. “Parents and mayors both intuitively understand the tragic impact of our failed educational status quo, as well as the moral, political and economic urgency of giving parents power over the educational destiny of their own children.”