There have been plenty of ideas about how to make schools safer. Arm some teachers, put cops in every school, install metal detectors. All of that costs money.
While I’m not a law enforcement person and can’t offer an expert opinion on the methods, I can tell you how to pay for it.
Quick question: What would you say if I told you the federal government spends $68 BILLION (yes, billion with a “b”) for a certain agency that oversees public schools?
Yep, that’s the budget for the Department of Education. With more than three thousand (thousand with a “t”) employees.
I nearly fell off my chair when I saw those numbers.
Yes, that’s how much we spend on bureaucrats who come up with brain-dead ideas like “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top.” Ask any teacher for an opinion on those programs. (Easy for me, I’m married to one.)
Next question: How long has the Department of Education been around?
If you’re younger, you might think our Founding Fathers created it. But it started in 1979, during the Jimmy Carter administration. The classic solution in search of a problem… where none existed.
If you’re older like me, you went to school when the Department of Education didn’t even exist. We turned out just fine without it. (We turned out just fine with a prayer and the pledge of allegiance starting every day as well.)
Next question: What would happen if we closed the Department of Education and spent that $68 BILLION (with a “b”) on metal detectors and paid for cops in every school?
Final question: What would you rather have that $68 BILLION (with a “b”) spent on… three thousand bureaucrats who keep educators hamstrung with regulations… or the safety of our kids and teachers?
Extra credit question: Do you think it would be good for kids to have a positive role model like a police officer in school every day? There’s one at my wife’s school making a difference. He’s there all day, every day, walking the halls, talking to the kids.
With a police car parked outside.
Now, think about how you react when you’re driving and see a police car up ahead. You slow down and get extra careful.
How would a potential school shooter react if he saw a police car parked in front of a school and knew there was an armed officer inside?
Hopefully President Trump will get Congress off its collective butts and get them to do something. When they figure out what it is, I’ve given them an easy way to pay for it.
Do you agree? Tell the President, your local Senators and members of the House of Representatives. Or just forward this post.
It’s time to stop throwing money away on bureaucrats and spend it on our students and teachers.
Nick Harlow is a former television reporter and network producer. He is the author of several political thrillers and the recent “Deplorables’ Guide to Fake News.”
For more on Nick Harlow and his other works, click here
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