The Minnesota Conservatives blog that elicited this posting
Minnesota Conservatives, instead of demeaning Senator Wiger and his newsletter, why don't you (and the rest of the Republican Party for that matter) address the actual issues instead. The MN Conservatives blog argues that dropouts aren't worth the time or effort to save. Wow, that paints a positive picture of education as viewed through conservative eyes.
Instead of the thoughtless slander, do some research and point out that the current law has mandatory attendance through age 15 and that 16 and 17 year olds who do wish to withdraw must attend a meeting with their parents or guardians and school personnel. They must also sign a written election to withdraw form. In other words, it isn't easy for a 16 or 17 year old to withdraw under the current laws. At the same point, high school dropouts are at their lowest rate ever. The U.S. dropout rate for the 2007-2008 school year was 8.0%. That rate has fallen consistantly since 1980 (14.1%). Minnesota's rate is much lower and also falling with rates of 5.86% in 2007, 5.79 in 2008, and 5.54 in 2009.
I believe that Senator Wiger's goals are noble. I just find the legislation to be a safe way to demonstrate support for education without any real risk of being called out for poor results. Despite what the Minnesota Conservatives blog says, this law will require minimal change to current documents and procedures in schools. Cross out 16, insert 18, apply law as usual. My concern is that dropout rates are already falling to their lowest rates EVER. If rates continue to fall, is it because of the new mandatory attendance age or is it just a continuation of the trend? If the rates level off, or even rise, will people blame Senator Wiger's legislation? Of course not. This bill is an easy Win-Win for Senator Wiger, while having a minimal impact on current high school attendance in Minnesota. I would rather see the Senator quit playing it safe and tackle some real issues facing our schools and our district. I would start, as I proposed in my campaign, with pushing for more consistent funding from the State. If the State "certifies" funds to school districts, those funds should be off limits for any future budget shifts. I would also start working with school districts to find areas that can be scaled back, or temporarily discontinued in preparation for Republican funding cuts. Where possible, also work with them to find alternate funding for some programs.
I absolutely despise the Republican's knee jerk response to belittle the legislator with a D behind their names without even attempting to address the issues in front of them. Quit telling me Democrats are crazy out of touch liberals who want to turn our country into the next socialist republic. Tell me how you would do it different and how your results will be better than the Democrats.
