Thursday, January 6, 2011

Our Children As Profit Centers

Remember, in New Jersey, children are not just our future, they are our future profit centers.

This is the philosophy at the center of Chris Christie's education policy. According to the Governor, the best hope for public education is to replace it with for-profit education facilities such as charter schools; undermine the teachers' union so as to be able to force out senior, expensive teachers; and combine schools to promote efficiency at the expense of local control of curricula. In other words, treat education like a business.

So advertising on school buses is a no-brainer. Which is why the Governor just signed into law a bill that allows just that.

Oddly, only the 40% of municipalities that own their own school buses can advertise; the municipalities which lease their buses cannot sell advertising space. Ads for tobacco and alcohol are prohibited, as are any ads the Commissioner of Education deems inappropriate. In other words, this law is just a lawsuit waiting to happen. Some districts can sell ads, others can't; some businesses can advertise, others can't. It's an equal access/ First Amendment nightmare.

But it's also a sign of things to come. Get ready for corporate logos on football fields and basketball courts; brand logos on school uniforms; and any and all other means available to turn access to our school children into a thriving industry.

No comments:

Post a Comment