I’m with Janie on this one. In addition to the theoretical justification for taxpaying funding of K-12 education, about which we disagree in here in the Room, there is the stark practical reality that public education is, indeed, a longstanding, firmly entrenched function of state government. There is no realistic prospect of changing that. None. And comparing the institution to a certain peculiar one in the past is a good way to get your rhetorical head chopped off, not to mention the fact that the comparison is seriously misguided.

The question becomes what steps we can recommend to break up the monopoly structure of the system as much as possible and create incentives for educators and students to improve outcomes. And, of, course, we should defend vociferously the right of individuals to escape the monopoly, at least at their own expense and preferably with some of the educational expense their taxes have paid for refunded to them.

Simply waiting for public-school districts to collapse of their own weight and mediocrity is not a plan. It leaves too many students without access to a decent education, a deficiency that will haunt us as taxpayers and citizens for many years to come.