The Post and Courier from Charleston, SC joins the advocacy group Pre-K Now to criticize Governor Mark Sanford’s unwillingness to pour government money into pre-kindergarten programs in South Carolina. The problem? Although the state has recently poured millions of additional dollars into pre-kindergarten programs, Sanford wants private providers in on the act. Pre-K Now hates the idea of allowing the private sector to offer pre-kindergarten programs. They stop short of calling private providers “icky.”
A spokesman for Sanford responded:
Any group that automatically dismisses the idea of private alternatives is a group that doesn’t have children’s best interests at heart. The bottom line is that this is an out-of-state group that wants to improve education through a massive expansion of bureaucracy rather than by empowering parents.
Even worse, the P&C article identifies Mike Easley as the standard-bearer for early childhood education:
In North Carolina, Gov. Mike Easley’s “More at Four” program serves 20,000 at-risk children across the state at a cost of $84 million. His current budget proposal calls for expanding the program by 10,000 students and $60 million in 2007-08.
“All of the research shows that pre-kindergarten is a tried-and-true strategy for school readiness,” Easley said.
Dollars spent on government program + (government-funded research x public relations) = success. Got it.
