Free Market Education – Solutions, Not Talk.

[edward j williamson]

I wrote this article a couple of years ago and had it published in a couple of libertarian sites. It was also carried at Sierra Times. Now a little about myself. I consider myself an objectivist philosophically and a libertarian politically. I am curious to find out how the topic of privatizing education is viewed in objectivist circles.-EW

Free Market Education – Solutions, Not Talk.

by Edward J. Williamson

As a long time libertarian many things stand out as abhorrent to me. Naturally, they involve government, more specifically bloated, self-important, caretaker government. More onerous yet, I find repugnant the recruiting arm of the government -–the one with the mandate to secure the future of collectivism – the Department of Education. We libertarians are well known, and on occasion, mocked for envisioning a society of privatized services, of turning the hounds of governmental agencies over to the influences and control of the free market. As if that were a bad thing!

One of tenants of libertarianism is the goal of a completely privatized system of education. One that will be regulated by the forces of free enterprise, to grow and flourish through the time honored system of competition. A system of education that will both benefit the student while also benefiting the creative entrepreneur. Proposals for improving the quality of education abound like the grains of soil in a desert sandstorm, yet the overall quality of government education continues its insidious spiral downward toward complete and abject failure. Other than home schooling, a noble and worthy choice, two proposals most often crop up in libertarian debates, vouchers and privatization. Both give parents greater choice, but only complete privatization completely divests schools from government influence and control.

We have been hearing for years now about the need for a voucher system. A system in which the government ‘gives’ parents money to be used to choose a school which meets their standards and mirrors the values that they wish to impart to their children. Although this does afford some choice and flexibility for parents, one must always remember that the government never ‘gives’ something for nothing. The government gift packages always come replete with attached strings. I happen to believe that vouchers are simply a way for the government to infuse their fingers into private education. Not long in following this voucher mania, will come the inevitable government guidelines for accepting these vouchers and the entire slate of rules and conditions that must be adhered to by schools who now hope to benefit from this 'windfall’. This is a Trojan Horse in the making. As soon as these private schools become dependent upon these new found funds, the list of government mandates will come spewing forth from the horse’s mouth, and what was once believed to be a private school will, for all intents and purposes, become one more notch on the belt of governmental conquests of the free market. Is that what we aspire to happen? I wonder just how many people can see this happening?

That leaves two viable options in the quest of educational choice, home schooling, and the complete privatization of America’s educational system. Most of us are familiar with the great successes of home-schooled students. This is an endeavor that is both ideal, and requires a great deal of organizational skills, perseverance, and the ability to foster a love of learning in one’s own children. Not all parents can do this, either because they do not have the requisite time required to fully implement and carry out this program, or they are not equipped to do so. This leaves privatized education. How do we go about privatizing our educational system? How is it to be financed and supported? How do those from lower income families pay for the education of their children? Actually, turning over education to the free market is easy. A number of solutions can be implemented in order for schools to be self-supporting, profitable, and most importantly – efficient businesses that turn out a superior product. I am going to discuss one idea, an idea modeled after my own experience in a private secondary school.

The purpose and goal of education should be, besides teaching the traditional subjects, to foster a love of learning, to teach students to think and set goals, and to equip them with the tools to succeed at a practical level. I attended a private high school in a rural setting. We had a large, school owned dairy, a poultry farm, a farm where alfalfa, wheat, and corn were grown, a packing plant, a well known book bindery, and a large commercial laundry. These industries were owned either by the school, private individuals associated with the school, or by partnership between individuals and the school. These industries employed both full-time adult workers and the students from the school. We had a vibrant work program, tailored to the students learning work skills, and at the same time earning money towards tuition. This was a boarding academy, with 80% of the students living in dormitories, and 20% living at home. All students were required to work as part of their educational experience. Seniors and sophomores attended classes from 7:50 A.M. to 12:10 P.M. From 1:30 P.M to 5:00 P.M. they were at work. Juniors and freshmen reversed the schedule, work in the morning and school all afternoon. In addition to the above mentioned industries, many students worked in campus maintenance and grounds, in the custodial departments, in food service, and some even served as ‘readers’ for teachers. Not only were we taught excellent academics, we also learned and garnered practical work experience, gained workplace skills, and learned to be financially responsible for some of our own upkeep.

These enterprises were profitable as well. Students who worked in the packaging plant received a base pay plus a piecework bonus if they attained a certain level of production. In the other industries, we earned a going wage for minor workers. The bookbindery, for example, did superb work. They had contracts from publishers, public schools for textbook binding, libraries, and medical publications. Our dairy sold their products to other businesses. Our farm sold alfalfa hay to feed stores and fed our dairy cows. Our poultry farm sold eggs to area grocery stores. All were profitable. These profits, of course, rewarded the entrepreneurs, helped support the school, and provided means for students to help fund their education while at the same time gain valuable work experience. The fact that these industries had a large and ready supply of student workers kept the overhead low and the profits high. The school benefited because they received tuition money via a percentage of student earnings, received rent for the businesses’ housing, and each business agreed to pay a stipend to the school. It was a win-win situation for everyone all around.

Many schools today, especially high schools and colleges can implement this very system. The students not only receive academics, academics that will certainly be far superior in a free market environment, but also receive valuable workplace experience and skills, as well as learning how to earn money and be responsible for at least part of their financial well-being while learning the value of a hard earned dollar.