DeLauro and co. misdirect funds for ACE program

(9/28/05)

I'm writing this week in response to my own article last week in the News section of the paper where I covered a press conference hailing the accomplishments of Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in securing $750,00 for the ACE, Accelerated Certification for Educators program.
The only responses I ever see to my musings are usually by irate leftists or misinformed Socialists so I figured it would be fun to join the party.
As an opinionated man it was somewhat of a curveball to cover an actual news story and do it objectively. I usually leave such endeavors for those more experienced in the mundane, but in a moment of good faith I allowed myself to become part of the media. As I covered said press conference I found it difficult to maintain my objective journalistic composure, instead I yearned to completely bash and discredit the whole event.
I eventually wrote an unbiased piece, which was both well received by my co-workers and a shot of self-esteem to myself, proving that I could write professionally if I so desired.
A slow news week and my retiring from hurricane coverage has left me devoid of any other topics, so now the ACE program is going to get my real opinion.
The ACE program, its 63 students and its $750, 000 are stealing from the government and a program based only in politics. DeLauro has missed the point when it comes to improving education. Why secure money for people who are already moderate successes in the business world to go back to college? These individuals have their degrees and can manage for themselves. I am just an outside observer, of course, but it seems to me that the money would be better spent improving education and aiding future teachers in other ways.
Perhaps that allocation of funds can go to products of the inner city schools so they they may get their teaching certification.
I?m sure that most of the people seeking their accelerated certification can afford the tuition of a state school.
Why not invest this money in the very system that the benevolent congresswoman is trying to help by giving it to inner city graduates so that they may get their degrees and return to the schools they are products of. This idea, which I know is revolutionary to myopic public officials, would serve those urban areas because there is a chance that these individuals would actually stay in the schools and want to teach underprivileged children.
It is a joke to believe that the good souls benefiting from the ACE program will be teaching at an inner city school one day longer than they have to. It would be foolish to think everyone in this program has the most pure intentions in mind.
These people realize that the job market is still somewhat unstable and what profession is out there where you can screw up constantly, be ineffective, belong to a ridiculously strong union, get amazing benefits, receive a comfortable check, and get summers off? Hmmm, wait a minute, that profession is teaching.
The press conference was classic back patting and reaffirming the cronyism that permeates politics on all levels.
Everyone was in awe of this masterful fiscal victory of De- Lauro's that no one stopped to think of any better allocations for the funds given. I could list better uses for the $750,000 for another 10,000 words, but I believe anyone in and around an educational atmosphere would be able to find better uses for the money being filtered into the ACE program.
Tell me what a lawyer and others with bachelors degrees in math and the sciences needs with a scholarship that outweighs the needs of children or aspiring teachers from underprivileged areas. The CSU brass along, with the liberal New Haven elite see this as a victory for inner city education, and it is if you belong to a party that bleeds money without any regard for the long term ramifications of their actions. Why would we waste such money on individuals that have been out of college for years when we could get more out of our money by investing it in 18 year olds who have several more years of productivity in them than the lauded ACE participants.
The system as a whole does not understand that you cannot fix a problem by throwing money in all directions and claiming responsibility when one program out of a thousand actually ends up showing positive results. Do some research, congresswoman, put that money into after school programs for these underfunded schools, perhaps funnel that money into a benefit account for those who remain as teachers in the inner cities. Giving scholarships to 63 able bodied tax paying professionals is not the answer.
There are schools in this country where teachers have to buy their own paper and pay for their own copies, perhaps this should be addressed before we throw our money away trying to fill jobs that will easily be filled with the influx of college graduates every May who desperately seek teaching jobs in Connecticut because of the previously mentioned benefits and pay rates.
So let us thank congresswoman DeLauro for her tireless efforts to piss away taxpayer money in the form of misguided programs. I'm sure someone's heart is in the right place in all of this, but I highly doubt it belongs to DeLauro.
This little program is a nudge to all the egghead elite in New Haven to stock up the city full of new recruits and take care of a long term problem with a short term solution. I'm sure the school systems of Westport and all of Fairfield county will benefit from this program more than New Haven and Bridgeport, but I'm sure with the education system the way it is, it is plain to see that the beaurocrats know what they're doing.
So kudos to you, ACE students, you?ve successfully screwed the system.
And to all others involved, congratulations, I'm sure the next time you read about an underprivileged school system that is located nowhere near your homes, your hearts will grow warm and you'll feel like you've contributed. In reality you've participated in pissing away funds that could go to the people that really need them.