LB 641: An Unlikely Mission Accomplished
by Ryan Anderson
On sale now (via Paging Power)At the start of this legislative session I outlined my significant doubts that a Unicameral this inexperienced could successfully tackle an issue as laden with tripwires and land mines as the Omaha schools boundary dispute. I'm happy to admit I was wrong.
LB 641 confronts the two most urgent issues at hand -money and race- with courage, common sense and innovation. Inevitably, with so many different chefs seeking to put their individual stamp on this effort, the result is imperfect and a little messy. But the legislature kept their eye on the prize and managed a compromise that contained the best ideas of all proposals. I am especially fond of the "focus schools" concept (weird as it seems) - your best chance of combating institutionalized attitudes of ignorance and bias are the construction of communities small enough and cooperative enough to forge a new identity, an identity not tied to race or geography but to common need and interest.
There are many people to thank for this effort (which, while unproven, offers real promise and a rare opportunity for large-scale change), but give credit especially to Senator Chambers for forcing everyone back to the drawing board. I have been especially critical of his proposal to divide OPS along racial lines, but considering his strategic willingness to embrace compromise and surrender earlier demands of racial division, I have to wonder if this isn't exactly the result he intended all along.
What's that you say? Far-fetched? Inconceivable? Sure, but if any legislator invites such "cloak-and-dagger" fantasies it's the parliamentary giant from North O. I may not agree with Chambers' vision of what race relations in this nation could be or should be, but I have to admit his uncannily accurate sense of what they are. He understands this powder keg better than just about anyone, and at times he can be downright brilliant in the use of its explosive power for productive purposes.
After all, demolition is often the first step in construction.
So, my hats off to Chambers and the rest of the legislature for a job well done. And thanks also to the Governor and those Senators who supported LB 1024 for playing the necessary but unenviable role of "the stooge". Without your petty opportunism, this would have never been possible.
Labels: Education, Omaha, Unicameral
posted at 7:44 AM
4 Comments:
Ryan, I think we're running out of hats. I'll run to the NNN supply closet and see what we've got left (hopefully a few water bottles).
That said, it's nice to see that our Senators were able to build some sort of consensus on this controversial issue. The rushed manner in which it was handled in 2006 was quite disturbing, but the dedication of Senators Raikes, Chambers, and others to forging a local compromise that still addresses the state's most fundamental concerns seems like it might have actually paid off.
I'm still not giving Gov. Heineman any credit on this one, though. He's been exploiting the issue for political purposes from the start, without any clear principles or vision at work.
Sorry to "pull a Trevor" on this one, but I think Heineman's been pretty damn irresponsible throughout this debate - recklessly siding with the suburban superintendents and using the calendar as a gun to the legislature's head.
I'd suggest this worthy legislation actually passed despite Gov. Heineman. Sure, I guess he could have pulled some strings to torpedo it, but I'm not going to give him credit for simply not screwing things up worse than he already had.
A little premature to call this bureaucratic nighmare a mission accomplished. I'll wait and see if these new programs raise test scores in OPS. All previous initiatives have failed miserably, as Sen Chambers pointed out. I'm from Missouri on this.
"Ryan, I think we're running out of hats. I'll run to the NNN supply closet and see what we've got left (hopefully a few water bottles)."
Haha, whoops. Should've selected something else to celebrate with (but hats are so much fun!)
"
I'm still not giving Gov. Heineman any credit on this one, though. He's been exploiting the issue for political purposes from the start, without any clear principles or vision at work."
I agree with you completely. Heineman's contributed nothing to this debate except his naked political opportunism. Fortunately, it looks like Chambers was able to play that card to his advantage. That's what I meant to get at when I "thanked" the Governor for playing the stooge.
"A little premature to call this bureaucratic nightmare a mission accomplished. I'll wait and see if these new programs raise test scores in OPS. All previous initiatives have failed miserably, as Sen Chambers pointed out. I'm from Missouri on this."
A bureaucratic nightmare? Actually, I'll give you that one. Part of the problem (that was supposed to be addressed by "one city, one school district") is that having so many districts in one metro area creates needless red-tape, redundancy and waste. This plan does nothing to solve that problem, and actually makes it worse. But good legislating requires compromise, compromise requires priorities, and the priority issues here are race and wealth. This bill confronts both admirably.
It's premature to think the problem is solved, surely, but there's no need to delay congratulations for the legislators, who did all we can expect of them in a single session (and more). Their work is done (for now), and done well. Now let's see that same creative energy, that same spirit of compromise and clarity of purpose in the administrators, the teachers, the parents and the local officials. Their mission has just begun.
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