Message from the unions: Tennessee Parents aren’t capable

By Tommy Schultz
“I don’t think they [parents] have the full understanding and exposure of what a proper, adequate education is for their children…I am saying that some parents are not capable of determining venues that will be most advantageous for their children, and that is a fact.” Those condescending words come from Keith Williams, head of the largest local union in Tennessee who decided that parents aren’t “capable” of choosing the best education for their children. He said this on a national PBS broadcast and showed the true colors of the thinking within the education establishment.
Why is it that bureaucrats and union bosses always want to control children as if they aren’t the government’s kids and not the parents’ kids? Why shouldn’t parents be given the option to send their child to whatever school–traditional public, public charter, or private–is going to be best for their kids? Giving parents that choice would certainly make parents more empowered to research schools and “have the full understanding and exposure” that Mr. Williams describes.
In Memphis where Mr. Williams is a union boss, more than 50 schools are classified in the bottom 5 percent of the entire state. Should someone who is a power broker over consistently failing schools really be so resistant to changes in the status quo?
The attitude displayed in front of the national media likely is the tip of the iceberg to the mentality that is afflicting the education establishment in chronically failing school districts. And children are suffering because of it.
Watch the full clip on the fight in Memphis regarding charter schools here: