Inland Empire Kids Rejoice at News of Longer Summer Vacation

The Riverside Press reports today that administrators from the Riverside and Corona-Norco school districts have warned state senators that further cuts to schools will have dire consequences. If Gov. Brown can't get the tax extensions he wants, electives and other unmandated programs are likely to be cut, as well as the salaries of teachers and other staff. Also threatened: moving to a 160-day school year. As Corona-Norco superintendent Kent Bechler put it, "We would essentially teach, test, and go home".

Um, that sounds pretty good to us. For one thing, we would've leaped for joy as children if we'd been given 15 more days of summer vacation instead of spending that time imprisoned in school. And we probably would've been better off for it; we'd encourage anyone who thinks otherwise to read John Taylor Gatto's fantastic Underground History of American Education. Given the pitiful achievement scores in California's public schools, not to mention the rampant bullying and drug dealing, it's not clear that children benefit from mandatory schooling. Sure, their parents benefit from taxpayer-paid day care, and the teachers benefit from taxpayer-paid jobs and pensions. And, of course, the bullies and drug dealers think it's awesome. But kids who spend their summers starting businesses doing things like mowing lawns learn more about the real world than they would spending that time in school. And, obviously, kids studying at home under the instruction of caring, interested parents are almost certainly happier and better-educated than they'd ever be in our schools. California's government is, of course, hostile to the idea.