Joy Pullmann of the Federalist ponders the decision to kill off gifted education in New York City.
As if the striver types who keep New York City’s lights on need any more reasons to flee, outgoing Mayor Bill de Blasio announced he’s canceling gifted education for “equality.” The New York Times claims in its “report” on the announcement Friday that “the highly selective program” “has become a glaring symbol of segregation in New York City public schools.”
The change — which is up to de Blasio’s successor to carry out — is another glaring indication that Democrats now feel comfortable openly flexing their complete dominance over U.S. public education and their use of it, not to educate, but to fuel their political machine. Leftists’ displays of complete power over public schooling have fired like artillery shelling in the past two years.
Just take stock of what we’ve only recently witnessed: The Biden administration’s announcement that parents upset with systemic racist indoctrination could be investigated by the FBI as “domestic terrorists”; going on three school years of anti-science school COVID rules that benefit teachers unions at the expense of America’s future; the false and destructive 1619 Project assisting schools nationwide in teaching anti-Americanism; California Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing COVID shots are required for kids to attend school. …
… Who controls the billions government schools take every year? Not parents. Not even taxpayers. Special interests that are all essentially arms of the Democratic Party do: teachers unions, credentialing cartels like teacher’s colleges and universities, administrator’s organizations, the Chief Council of State School Officers, school board associations, tech contractors, testing companies, and all the rest.
The system runs like Tammany Hall: To be a part, you accept favors from the party, and in return you do them favors. They give you or your institution money; you get them elected. You get them elected, they give you or your institution money.