Privatization In Schools Essay

What is Privatization? There are many definitions that you can find for privatization, and there are many positive and negative emotions that this word brings about. Parents, students, and especially educators are blinded to the impact of what privatization can have on the education of our society. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition is to remove (something) from government control and place it in private control or ownership. In other words change the ownership from public to private. Privatization is happening all over the U.S., for instance, Republicans want to replace the IRS agents with private debt collection agencies, New Jersey wants to privatize the public water system and 911 services, Florida would like the public transportation to be privatized, and finally Wisconsin would like to privatize all public education. What is being privatized in the public school system? …show more content…
According to Mathis and Jimerson, “It also purportedly frees school leaders from non-instructional responsibilities so that they can concentrate on their primary mission of ensuring that children are learning” (p. 5). Privatizing can save money and truly provide the services that are agreed upon in the contract. “The school board and administrators must be extremely careful as they consider contracting out” (Mathis and Jimerson, 2008). The school is a large provider of employees for a community. If the school chooses to employ local contractors it will improve the economy of that community; however, if the school contracts someone out-of-state or internationally, this will put a burden on the community’s economy including local businesses losing customers. If the subcontractor are multi-national they will not buy local products. All of this becomes a chain reaction if the school board and administrators choose not to hire contractors that are