March 20, 2025 • 40 mins
The President signed an executive order aimed at dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told the media that the department will be “much smaller than it is today” however “when it comes to student loans and Pell Grants, those will still be run out of the Department of Education.” While Trump has made his intention to close the DOE clear, to fully dissolve the department would require an act from Congress. Do you think education oversight should return to the states?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's night time with Dan Ray. I'm telling you Easy
Boston's Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right again, we're going to close the books on
that story out of Connecticut. It was an appalling story.
Not happy about it, but I wish more people responded
to it because I think it was It is indicative
of where we are, where we have gone as a
country in terms of our concern for our physical neighbors.
(00:32):
You know, the people who live on our block, in
our streat, on our street, in our apartment complex. How
many of those people do you really know? And take
it into taking into some consideration, because I think that
it's great to think about all great programs and all
(00:53):
of that, but when it comes down to it, this country,
and by extension, all of us left this young man. Now. Anyway,
I'm not going to preach that. I'm not going to
preach at you tonight, that's for sure. We're going to
talk about Donald Trump's effort to dismantle the Department of Education.
So let's put some context on it here, and I'd
(01:15):
love to hear from you. If you think it's a
great idea, great if you think it's not a great idea,
let me hear either way. The Department of Education has
been a target of many Republican presidents over the years
and and Republican presidential candidates. I do not know the
(01:35):
precise scope of the department, but like any federal agency,
the one word that you could use to describe it
would be big. It was created by Congress in nineteen
seventy eight nineteen seventy nine, when Jimmy Carter was president.
Now I have not gone back and read the Congressional
record on this, but my suspicion is that at that
(01:58):
time in our country, the feeling probably was that there
were states like Massachusetts, and I guess probably Connecticut and
New York, which are doing a pretty good job educating
their students, and there were other states around the country
that didn't have as much wealth as states like Massachusetts,
(02:19):
New York, maybe New Jersey, Connecticut, and that it would
be better for kids in whatever state they were born,
children whichever a state they were born, who have support
from the federal government. So the Department of Education was created,
(02:41):
and of course it's been funded by Congress now for
forty five forty six years. It has been funded by
Democratic legislatures and Republican legislatures. It's been supported by Republican
presidents and Democratic presidents. President Trump who is doing things
(03:06):
at an incredible rate, whether you agree with him or not,
I mean, it just seems that every day he's taking
on four or five battles. He spoke today late today, however, earlier,
his Press Secretary Caroline Levitt spoke about this, and we
were a couple of soundbites from her addressing some of
(03:29):
the concerns and the criticisms. First of all, before I
go to that, the White House released a statement today,
which they do a lot of statements. This one is
on education and President Trump knows we can do better.
This was released today. Since nineteen seventy nine, the Department
of Education has spent over three trillion dollars with virtually
(03:53):
nothing to show for it. Despite per pupil spending having
increased by more than two hundred and forty five five
percent over that period, there's been virtually no measurable improvements
in student achievement. Talks about math and reading scores for
thirteen year old's lowest level in decades, six and ten
fourth graders are in Nearly three quarters of eighth graders
(04:16):
are not proficient in math. That's bad. Seven and ten
fourth graders, fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading,
while forty percent of fourth grade students don't even meet
basic reading levels. Now you can look back and say, well,
these students, these were the kids who were most impacted
by COVID nineteen, twenty twenty eight, twenty twenty one, twenty
(04:38):
twenty two. Standardized test scores have remained flat for decades.
US students ranked twenty eight out of thirty seven countries
in math. So, of course the president talks about his
bold action. He's going to return education where it belongs
with individual states, which your best positioned to administer affective
(04:59):
programs in service is that benefit their own unique populations
and needs, Instead of a bloated federal system that burdened
schools with regulations in paperwork. The Trump administration believed states
should be empowered to expand the educational freedom and opportunity
for all families. Okay, those remarks were echoed by the
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt rob if you'd be
(05:20):
so kind cut twenty four place.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Where was their criticism of our nation's failing test scores
for the last several decades? The Department of Education was
founded in the nineteen seventies, and since then we have
spent more than three trillion dollars at this federal bureaucracy.
What has been the return on that investment for the
American taxpayer? Levels that are less than ideal, less than proficient.
(05:46):
Our children's test scores are incredibly concerning when it comes
to reading rates, literacy rates, math and science test scores.
The numbers prove that, and the President is finally, this
president is by taking much needed action to return education
to where it belongs, and that's to educators closest to
(06:06):
students in their classrooms in their respective states.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
So that's pretty strong indictment of the federal rule over education.
I mean, for the first two hundred years of the country,
we did pretty well educationally without a Department of Education.
Many of you, like me, completed our elementary, middle and
(06:34):
high school education without benefit of a federal Department of Education.
And like anything else ament once a government agency is created,
they stick around for a long time. There are a
lot of people who did very well had careers in
Washington and elsewhere. But are kids any better off today?
(06:56):
I don't know. This is one more sound bite from
Caroline Levitt, which I think encapsulates what the Trump administration
would like to do.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Cut twenty five, so the Department of Education will be
much smaller than it is today. As you know, the
President's executive Order directed Linda McMahon to greatly minimize the agency.
So when it comes to student loans and pelgrants, those
will still be run out of the Department of Education.
But we don't need to be spending more than three
trillion dollars over the course of a few decades on
(07:25):
a department that's clearly failing in its initial intention to
educate our students.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, she said, Pelgrant student loans will be administered by
the Department of Education in a much stripped down form,
and then other included of that will also, I guess
be Title I and funding for students with disabilities, others
(07:52):
funds which might be transferred other obligations of the Department
of Education could be transferred to the Small Business Administration
of Commerce Department. The bottom line is Donald Trump is
thinking about doing things differently, and most people don't like change.
(08:12):
I think that's and of course anybody who is working
at the Department of Education does not like change. But
when you look at the amount of money that we
have spent on public education. When you look at the
amount of money that has gone to teachers all over
(08:34):
the country, we're talking about you know, billions of dollars,
trillions of dollars. And most teachers I think do a
great job. They do the best job they can. And
I know that society has changed in the last few
decades and all of that, but the bottom line is
the teachers' unions, the union leadership has not allowed for
(08:59):
as much innovation and opportunity as I would have liked.
I would have liked to have seen more charter schools.
I would like to see more private schools. I would
like to see money that parents pay in their local taxes,
(09:20):
your real estate taxes, for example, if you live in
a city or a town, A lot of that goes
to the up upkeep of the local middle schools, elementary schools,
and high school So we're going to change it up.
If our statistics were off the chart and the US
was doing better than any country in the world, I
(09:42):
would argue, why change it. But everything that we've seen,
we keep seeing all of these scores that are not improving,
and look, I like to joke. And I say this
in all honesty. I want kids to be educated, and
I've always wanted them to be educated as much as possible, uh,
(10:03):
not necessarily at all. Go to college, Some going to
go to college, some go to go to trade schools.
I think we need more people who are looking to
actually start businesses and uh and become electricians and plumbers
and craftsmen and heating and ac uh technicians and roofers
(10:24):
and all and plumbers and all the skills that we need.
And those people will have a lifetime of occupational professional
professional security. If you're a plumber, if you're an electrician,
You're never going to be without a job. It's as
simple as that. So are you worried? Are you worried?
(10:48):
I'm not. I say I think it is time to,
you know, change it up. Let's see if we can
get our students in a better case. The final point
I'd like to make, and I want to hear you
whether you agree or disagree, is that each community, each
state knows what type of education they need for their students.
(11:10):
In a state like Massachusetts or Rhode Island or Connecticut,
we have different needs than more rural states. I think
not only of parts of New Hampshire and Vermont and Maine.
You have New England. There's really six states, but three
of more rural New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and three of
more urban Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Doesn't mean we
(11:32):
don't have rural areas, doesn't mean that New Hampshire and
Vermont don't have cities and towns. But on a whole,
it's quite different, very different feels to those states. Needless
to say, states across the country go to Kansas, go
to Oklahoma, go to Texas. Very different world. In Massachusetts,
(11:53):
we don't need a one size fits all. And by
the way, all the money that comes to Massachusett, it's
from Washington that all the politicians are don't we're losing
those money. Who are losing that money. Guess where Washington
gets the money? They they don't have trees down their
money trees. We send our taxes to Washington. People in
(12:14):
all other states send their taxes to Washington. And I'm
gonna say the money gets laundered down there, which has
of course a bad term. But the money, some of
it goes to support Washington, and then we get some
of it that comes back. Now, maybe there are some
states that send less money and get more back, and
I know that that argument is made, but I think
(12:35):
Massachusetts sends, on a per capital basis, much more money
down than we get back. You can't. You're only gonna
be able to get so much, and you're never gonna
get more than one hundred percent. In my opinion, six
seven four thirty, six seven nine three one ten thirty.
Is it time to bring the education of our kids
(12:57):
in our respective states back home to our respective states.
And if you're a teacher, talk to me. Tell me
why I'm right, or tell me why I'm wrong. If
you're an educational professional, tell me what the problem is.
If some of these programs are brought back to each
state and are patterned for the students in each at
(13:22):
every at each and every different state. Back on nights
out after.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
This, Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window
World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Throw over, a couple of folks call and drop off.
If you're too shy, don't call. And if you're going
to call a talk show, Rob is not going to
take a message from you and say, oh, one of
our call has said this, No, this talk show gives
you an opportunity to speak to the eastern half of
the United States. That's all I can do for you.
Six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty, six one seven,
(13:55):
nine three one ten thirty. Education everything ends up. Look,
here's the Washington has some responsibilities. There's no question about that.
They have to run the government. Uh, they run Congress.
They they we have to support the White House. When
I when I say the White House, we have to
fund at the White House, fund the Supreme Court, fun Congress.
(14:18):
We all need to pay for an army and a navy,
and the Marines and the Air Force and all of that.
But beyond that, there's a few other things that that
I think are important. You know, federal programs, ocean programs
are important, FDA programs are important. But when you get
to education, I think that's a state obligation. I really do. Uh,
(14:40):
And that's why I'm not freaked out about it. Maybe
you are six one seven ten thirty or six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty. Let me start off with
Steven Lynn. Steve love to know what your thought is
on this. Thanks so much for calling it right head.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Hey, Dan, it seems like I always call you about
education issues. I spoke to you a months ago.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Well, I'm happy you do. Are you involved in education
as well? Give me a perspective.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Yeah, a wife who's a teacher, and you know, involved
in the school systems and whatnot. But hey, so I
agree that the Department of Education spends more money than
the benefits that they generate. You've made a statement that
you know the money goes to the teachers. It doesn't
go to the teachers. It goes to bureaucrats and administrators.
(15:28):
There's a superintendent, a super assistant superintendent, there's a curriculum instructor.
There's all of these administrative positions that have been created
because of the Department of Education that do not benefit
students directly. And the money is certainly not going into
the classrooms. It's going to everybody else but the people
who need it. And I agree that block funding back
(15:51):
to the States is the way to go.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
By the way, unless you have a question, don't hang up,
because I want to make sure that I'm clear with you.
First of all, thank you for that clarification. What I
meant to say was that in order to have a
school system, whether it's funded by in large part by
the federal government or funded in large part by Massachusetts.
(16:16):
The backbone of the school system are the teachers. I
don't have a beef with the teachers because I've watched
teachers I worked as when my kids were young, because
I was working nights on Channel four, I worked as
a teacher's aid once a month or so. Every parent
had to be the teacher's aid, you know, in the
(16:37):
school where my kids wet. But but you're right when
you talk about the structure that has built, the superintendents
and the assistant superintendents, You're absolutely right. That's the bureaucracy
that does nothing to educate kids or very little to
educate kids. The teacher. The education occurs in the classroom,
(16:57):
There's no question about that. And all the money that
either is taken out of your property taxes or comes
back money that you sent in your income taxes to Washington,
all of that does not go directly to the teachers.
And what the most of it that doesn't go to
teachers doesn't really help with education. So I agree with
(17:17):
your pointed and I'll take your criticism if it was
intended as a criticism.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Now, just just a clarification that's fine.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
I like the word clarification better, but but I can
still take it as a criticism. Don't worry about it, Okay.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
All right, thanks Dan, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Thanks Steve, talk to you soon. Six triple eight nine
ten thirty. I think this is an important question. Let
me ask you this, and maybe I have to simplify
it to get people to respond to this issue. The
Trump administration is basically changing the relationship of the state
(18:00):
to the federal government. Okay, A lot of power now
is existing at the federal level. We've seen it in
so many different ways. This is one that I agree
with Trump on. I don't agree with all of them,
but this is one that I think can be returned
to the states, meaning the government that is closest to
(18:23):
you in whether it's the Massachusetts government or even better
than that, the town in which you live. If there
are wealthy towns, they can provide they don't need support
from Washington other federal government. As much as poorer communities
(18:46):
want to support poorer communities, that's fine. We can. We
can have programs like that that if the city has
whatever the percentages of students that there were ways to
figure this out. There are ways to get money either
through the state camp or from Washington to communities to help.
But the system we have right now is not working.
(19:08):
And if the system isn't working that we have right now,
and it seems to be taking us in the wrong direction,
why stay with it? That's my question. Love to hear
from you if you have an interest in the education system.
One of the reasons I have a great interest in
the education system is I have a grandson. He's only
two and a half. He's going to be going into
the education system. He's going to learn a lot for
(19:31):
me and my family before he goes in the education system.
I have sung the alphabet to him as I did
to my own children. I want him to have every opportunity.
I want every child to have every opportunity. But I
don't think the best way to give kids an opportunity
is to simply continue to send our money on a
(19:53):
pipeline to Washington. Have Washington take a lot of that money,
keep it, keep it in Washington, spend it on the
bureaucrats or whatever in Washington, and then send some of
it back to Massachusetts and the other forty nine states
six one, seven, two, five, four, ten, thirty six, one, seven, nine, three, one,
ten thirty. Here's a simple question. If you're satisfied with
(20:14):
our public education system today, you should oppose what President
Trump is doing. If you're dissatisfied with it, and whether
you have kids in the school system or not, you
can read the studies that say the kids are not
doing well in math and reading scores. If you're dissatisfied
with the public education system, and if you want more
(20:37):
options for education generally I eat more charter schools, more,
more opportunity for homeschooling, more parochial schools, all of that,
all of that, you should support this. We'll be back
on Night's side. I got a bunch of lines here,
fill them up, coming back right after the news at
the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
If you're on Night Side with Dan Ray on wz
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
If, by the way, you have kids in school right now,
I'd love to know how you feel they're doing. And
if they're in a public school, private school, or whatever.
Love to know. And you don't have to tell us
what school system they're in. If you want to, you can.
And if you think your school system is doing a
great job, for whatever, your taxes, your pay I love
(21:30):
to know are you getting a bang for your buck,
because I'll tell you your kids only have one shot at
those twelve grades from first grade to twelve. It's as
simple as that. And when it's over, it's over. Believe me,
it can be over pretty quickly. I've gone through it.
It doesn't when you don't. When you're there, it doesn't
seem like it's going quickly, but it goes real quickly.
(21:50):
Joe is in Revere. Hey Joe, next on Nightside, How are.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
You can thank you for taking my call?
Speaker 6 (21:57):
I welcome.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
One of the thing that's going on is a lot
of people think mister Trump is trying to I'm sorry,
President Trump is trying to cut benefits for kids in
wheelchairs and stuff like that, and they're not going to
get the education they need. They're totally wrong. He's just
trying to transfer that into who's supposed to be taking
(22:21):
care of it. So he's aliminating a department as like
you said, they're not producing and the state and government
is supposed to be handling these things anyway, not a
total different department.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Well, as I said, Joe as Education, you know, Joe,
as I said, the Department of Education was founded. I
was created in seven, in nineteen seventy nine, not seventeen
seventy nine or eighteen seventy nine. So we dive as
(23:00):
a country for over two hundred years without a department
of education, and arguably we did better. We produced a
lot of great business people, we produced great athletes, we
produced great businesses, we create we produced great leaders in
(23:22):
those two hundred years we didn't have a Department of education.
And now we're looking at all of these reports that
say the reading scores are down, the math scores are down,
so you know a lot of kids are getting left behind.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
Yes, my son is in special education himself, graduating this
year and I'm trying to do college for him.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Now.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
The forums and stuff very tough.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Those Yeah, Okay, where's he looking at?
Speaker 7 (23:50):
Where's he looking to? All right?
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Dan, I can't send him an all his dame, buddy,
He's going to try Trinity College.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
And what's wrong with that? Wait a second, what's wrong?
Speaker 5 (24:04):
I can't.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I can't, Joe, Joe, There's nothing wrong with community. Joe,
listen to me, please, I'm trying to have a conversation
with you. This community colleges are great. First, First of all,
you're not on the rat race where you got to
get it done in four years. Maybe his pace of
learning is a little faster, maybe it's a little slower,
(24:28):
but you rack up those credits and then you take
those credits to a state college. I graduated from Boston
State College. That's not even in existence anymore. So, believe me,
there are some of the most successful people I know.
Some of the most successful people I know did not
(24:48):
go to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, did not go to Notre Dame.
You know, So your son's your son's going to be fine.
What is he? Yeah, we're having we're talking over each
other here a lot you so this beer with me
for a second? Do you have a headset on or
something or are you having trouble hearing me?
Speaker 5 (25:05):
No, let me let me totally shut the way you
off altogether.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Yeah. The radio being shut off is a great idea
because what happens, folks, as Rob has explained to you,
I'm sure there's a ten second delay. So what happens
is if you're listening to the radio, that kills the conversation, Joe,
because that's ten seconds ahead of where you want to be. Okay,
tell me when you get the radio off, Joe. I
(25:31):
don't want to rush you take your time. It's off, off,
it's off. Okay, now can you hear me pretty well?
Absolutely excellent. There's stills a delay here. I don't know
what sort of phone we're on. What does your son
want to do? You said, he's got to.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Look, I don't buy a motoroller and you'll be fine. Dan, Okay, yes, yes,
you're killing my show, Joe.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
You're killing play show.
Speaker 7 (26:00):
Outside, Joe.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Look, thank you, thank you for the call. Best of
luck with your son. Get him into a community college
and he's going to do great. Uh and he will.
He will exceed your expectations. Trust me on that. Okay,
and get a new phone. Get a new phone. Rob,
you got to emphasize to everybody that, as I'm sure
you do. Keep the radio off. Jennifer is in Brockdon Jennifer,
(26:23):
you're next on Nights Side. I hope you got a
better phone than Joe had. Go ahead, Jennifer.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
Hi, Dan, So, I have two daughters, ones in high school,
ones in middle school. My older daughter has had a great,
good experience in public school. She's done well, she was
an honor she's in a vocational school. She's top of
her class, she's working an electrical company, headed straight into
the union, doing great. Yeah, the school system has done
(26:53):
well for her, but in a district, it has not
done the same for a majority of the students, you know,
and you know, there's a lot of reasons that I
can be a factor behind that. But really what I
wanted to talk about was my younger daughter. My younger
daughter was born with disability, so she had developmental delay
(27:17):
and it you know, continued, so then it was persistent
developmental delay. And then over the years we learned more
about diagnoses and whatnot, and it took It was a process,
and I had the support of many good teachers, and
I felt trusted. I felt like I could trust the process.
(27:38):
I felt like I could trust the team. I felt
like we were all working together and that was great
up until fifth grade. And then as she was getting
ready for middle school, I didn't feel like she was
ready prepared and that we needed to do more. We
needed to learn more, do more, testing, understand more. And
(28:00):
came to realization that she had actually had She was
getting by, but turns out she has reading and writing
disability dyslexia. So we had multiple meetings, and I agree
with the problem about you know, administration taking a bulk
of the money from the federal government that the state
(28:23):
distributes and not get into the classroom. I agree with that,
and but I worry about eliminating the Department of Education
because there is a lot of protective mechanisms in place
that I've utilized the last two years. So I've been,
you know, managing all by myself her advocates for her
(28:45):
whole life until last year where we talked about placement.
I got the team to acknowledge her needs and that
she would need certain type of instruction in the classroom.
And I thought that we were all fat But when
she reached the new school, nothing was in place as
(29:05):
it was supposed to be. So called meeting blah blah blah.
I knew my rights, but basically I felt dismissed, like
completely totally.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
What grade level? What grade level is your daughter at
right now?
Speaker 8 (29:21):
She's seventh now, so okay, so you.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
Have some time, Uh, you have some time? What grade?
What grade level does she read at? Where? Where was
she shared? Okay, so she's got a gap to ok Yeah,
how much of that?
Speaker 8 (29:42):
We've also learned that she has just calculadys calcula dysgraphia.
Her disabilities are, you know, not as simple as what
I had understood. And how I got to that point
was through hiring an advocate, learning more about my rights
in the process, and kind of pushing the district they
(30:03):
could like like literally like I felt like they were
dismissing me. But once I got the advocate and then
she knew what I what my rights were, and how
to proceed and navigate, It's been difficult. It's funds like
literally a year and a half of how but finally
like we're in agreement. It's been a long process and
(30:24):
oh man, I am so this year we've had good teachers.
Last year not so much.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Yeah, you sound exhausted just trying to have a conversation
with you here, Jennifer You.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
Yeah, I know, I am.
Speaker 6 (30:39):
It's yea.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
I'm just saying that you've you've you've said so many
things that I wanted to comment on and I've kind
of let it go here. Uh, you sound to me
like you're emotionally exhausted from what you've gone. Yeah, No,
I unders said that. I'm just telling you that you
sound to me that like you're emotionally exhausted, You have
two daughters, your your older daughter is about to graduate.
(31:02):
It sounds like she's she's pretty much all set right,
pretty much? Yeah, pretty much? Okay? Who has come forward
in the school department in Brockton to help you? Has
anyone come forward? I mean, you know, obviously.
Speaker 8 (31:20):
I had to go outside of the school to the
you know, the main headquarters, to the department all the
way up like literally, like our meetings are now, you know,
we're not just the usual team. We also have like
you know, the chairs, the co chairs, the department heads.
Those are the people that are in my meetings with
me and my advocate.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Now, so you got to the point I'm trying to make, Jennifer,
is this your daughter? Instead of that money being used
for uh, let's say, additional teachers or another you know,
a teaching assistant who could be assigned to your daughter,
it sounds to me like that that money is own
to all of these people you're meeting with, and they're
(32:04):
not doing anything for your daughter other than sitting in
a meeting with you. And that's what's the problem with
our system. It seems to me that there's just too much,
too much administration. I mean, look, I don't know how
many children in your school are like your daughter, but
(32:25):
your daughter obviously is needs some additional assistance, okay, and
it should have been provided to her. Go ahead. You
said you had something you wanted to say. I didn't
want to interrupt you. Go ahead, No, go right ahead,
you go. No, no, no, you go because you got something.
You want to say something else. I was going to
(32:46):
say something, but go ahead.
Speaker 8 (32:48):
The whole district is struggling. Like I say, my daughter
has disability, but she's doing well. We like I've made
sure I meet with all her teachers. I am on
top of things, and I'm making sure that we're doing
the best that we can. But as far as like
she does with her I don't want to compare her
with her peers. But you know, there are children without
(33:11):
disability that she's doing just as well as they are
with a disability. So I don't want to make it
seem like the you know, the special Department is stilled
my daughter. They haven't entirely.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Someone's failed your daughter, Jennifer. I don't think it's you,
but but it sounds to me like your daughter did
not get the help she needed first grade, second grade,
third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade. Jennifer, I'm up
on my break. I wish I could have more conversation
with you, but I can't tell you how much, how
badly I feel for you. Don't give up, don't.
Speaker 8 (33:46):
I wanted to give a different perspective because you know, Oh,
I got it.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
I got the perspective. I got it. I got it, Jennifer.
I wish I could have given you some some better,
better advice, but I know that she's got a good
advocate than you. Thanks, Thanks so much, thank you, good
luck luck you two back on Nightside after this.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Let me get i Leen in here quickly. She's been
waiting on the longest I lean. Next on Nightside. Your
thoughts on what President Trump is doing.
Speaker 6 (34:24):
I think it's a very good idea. I am. I
think that the the control needs to be more local,
not not nationwide. And I just thought i'd share my
(34:45):
own experience. I am. I went through teacher training at
UMass Boston after the company I worked for went out
of business, Digital Equipment Corporation, and then I was I
(35:08):
had a wonderful, wonderful student teaching experience. But then I
was unable to find a job because the jobs were
all tied up in tenure. But I ended up with
a level four class, which was these were children who
(35:30):
were considered, you know, not educable.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Or were you teaching? Were you teaching in Boston? Where
were you teaching?
Speaker 6 (35:39):
Well, I was teaching in a suburb.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
No problem, okay, yeah, And so what happened.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
When I went into the class. I ended up taking
over the class because the teacher had had tenure, but
she was up against her last semester and just a
that she wasn't going to work the last semester that
she taught. So I inherited this class. And I loved those.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Early early retirement I guess right.
Speaker 6 (36:12):
But these kids said to me, we don't want to
learn any We don't want to learn nothing, they said.
Speaker 8 (36:20):
And I said, but.
Speaker 6 (36:25):
Anyway, I I explored with them subjects areas that might
be of interest, like well, you know, this was I
was teaching chemistry in high school. So I said, oh,
chemistry is cover so many interesting fields. And you know,
(36:52):
I made a few suggestions nah, And then I said,
well what about drugs?
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (36:59):
Yeah, man drugs.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
That you found out something they were interested in. Well again, teachers,
you have to you were innovative and that's and that
you should have. You would have been a great teacher
if you stuck with it. Eileen, I got my friend
Harvey Silverglada on here and I want to get him
in just before the eleven o'clock news. As always, thank
you for that's a very interesting occupational experience you've shared
(37:25):
with us tonight. Thanks for what you did.
Speaker 6 (37:28):
Okay, thanks appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Good night. Let's go to Harvey. Harvey, gonna get you
in here before the eleven o'clock news. Going ahead, Harvey.
Speaker 7 (37:37):
The Department of Education has nothing to do with a
solution to public education. Just like a clock that's right
twice a day that where it's not working. The Trump
administration is right about this one. The problem of the
teachers unions. If you have a reader teachers union's contract,
(37:57):
it's unbelievable. You cannot get rid of a bad teacher.
The solutions to public education is to get rid of
the unions. I'm a great supporter of unions in the
private sector and a great opponent in the public sector.
And that's because in the public sector. There's only one side.
(38:18):
In the private sector. Management is operating with the shareholders
money and the teachers' union and the lady union is
on the other side for own financial interest. The public schools,
you have only one side, it's the taxpayers. And so
(38:40):
public education has a huge union problem and the Trump
administration has zero to do with it.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
And by the way, we're going to see here in
Massachusetts in the years ahead and maybe in the very
near years ahead, a push to legal teacher strikes here
at Massachusetts, and when that happens, it's going to get
real ugly in terms of education in my opinion.
Speaker 7 (39:10):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Yeah, And that's the analysis. Harvey is, as always is
right right on the money. I almost called you last
week on a couple of the constitutional issues, and maybe
we can talk sometime in the next couple of days
over some of the deportations that are being considered and
(39:35):
obviously some of the cases that are being brought up
by various district court judges around the country, and I'd
love to get your perspective on that as well, if
you if you have some time, yep.
Speaker 9 (39:49):
All right, thanks, Harvey. I will talk to you in
the next few days. Thank you, my friend has always
and thanks for weighing in on this tonight. You put
it in perspective precisely. There's nothing that I can add
to what you just set. Thanks my friend. We'll talk soon,
Harvey Silver Glate. Ladies and gentlemen. Thanks Harvey. He nailed it.
He nailed it. And again, I don't want to make
(40:11):
this into an anti teachers union, but I think it's
important that we at least consider it. We'll be back
on Nightside right after the eleven.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
If you want to talk about this, great, If not,
we can, we'll go to a couple of other topics.
I think this is fascinating because it's our future. The
kids we're educating today will pay your Social Security next tomorrow.
That's why we all have a stake in the education
of these kids. We're coming back on Nightside.
It's night time with Dan Ray. I'm telling you Easy
Boston's Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
All right again, we're going to close the books on
that story out of Connecticut. It was an appalling story.
Not happy about it, but I wish more people responded
to it because I think it was It is indicative
of where we are, where we have gone as a
country in terms of our concern for our physical neighbors.
(00:32):
You know, the people who live on our block, in
our streat, on our street, in our apartment complex. How
many of those people do you really know? And take
it into taking into some consideration, because I think that
it's great to think about all great programs and all
(00:53):
of that, but when it comes down to it, this country,
and by extension, all of us left this young man. Now. Anyway,
I'm not going to preach that. I'm not going to
preach at you tonight, that's for sure. We're going to
talk about Donald Trump's effort to dismantle the Department of Education.
So let's put some context on it here, and I'd
(01:15):
love to hear from you. If you think it's a
great idea, great if you think it's not a great idea,
let me hear either way. The Department of Education has
been a target of many Republican presidents over the years
and and Republican presidential candidates. I do not know the
(01:35):
precise scope of the department, but like any federal agency,
the one word that you could use to describe it
would be big. It was created by Congress in nineteen
seventy eight nineteen seventy nine, when Jimmy Carter was president.
Now I have not gone back and read the Congressional
record on this, but my suspicion is that at that
(01:58):
time in our country, the feeling probably was that there
were states like Massachusetts, and I guess probably Connecticut and
New York, which are doing a pretty good job educating
their students, and there were other states around the country
that didn't have as much wealth as states like Massachusetts,
(02:19):
New York, maybe New Jersey, Connecticut, and that it would
be better for kids in whatever state they were born,
children whichever a state they were born, who have support
from the federal government. So the Department of Education was created,
(02:41):
and of course it's been funded by Congress now for
forty five forty six years. It has been funded by
Democratic legislatures and Republican legislatures. It's been supported by Republican
presidents and Democratic presidents. President Trump who is doing things
(03:06):
at an incredible rate, whether you agree with him or not,
I mean, it just seems that every day he's taking
on four or five battles. He spoke today late today, however, earlier,
his Press Secretary Caroline Levitt spoke about this, and we
were a couple of soundbites from her addressing some of
(03:29):
the concerns and the criticisms. First of all, before I
go to that, the White House released a statement today,
which they do a lot of statements. This one is
on education and President Trump knows we can do better.
This was released today. Since nineteen seventy nine, the Department
of Education has spent over three trillion dollars with virtually
(03:53):
nothing to show for it. Despite per pupil spending having
increased by more than two hundred and forty five five
percent over that period, there's been virtually no measurable improvements
in student achievement. Talks about math and reading scores for
thirteen year old's lowest level in decades, six and ten
fourth graders are in Nearly three quarters of eighth graders
(04:16):
are not proficient in math. That's bad. Seven and ten
fourth graders, fourth and eighth graders are not proficient in reading,
while forty percent of fourth grade students don't even meet
basic reading levels. Now you can look back and say, well,
these students, these were the kids who were most impacted
by COVID nineteen, twenty twenty eight, twenty twenty one, twenty
(04:38):
twenty two. Standardized test scores have remained flat for decades.
US students ranked twenty eight out of thirty seven countries
in math. So, of course the president talks about his
bold action. He's going to return education where it belongs
with individual states, which your best positioned to administer affective
(04:59):
programs in service is that benefit their own unique populations
and needs, Instead of a bloated federal system that burdened
schools with regulations in paperwork. The Trump administration believed states
should be empowered to expand the educational freedom and opportunity
for all families. Okay, those remarks were echoed by the
White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt rob if you'd be
(05:20):
so kind cut twenty four place.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Where was their criticism of our nation's failing test scores
for the last several decades? The Department of Education was
founded in the nineteen seventies, and since then we have
spent more than three trillion dollars at this federal bureaucracy.
What has been the return on that investment for the
American taxpayer? Levels that are less than ideal, less than proficient.
(05:46):
Our children's test scores are incredibly concerning when it comes
to reading rates, literacy rates, math and science test scores.
The numbers prove that, and the President is finally, this
president is by taking much needed action to return education
to where it belongs, and that's to educators closest to
(06:06):
students in their classrooms in their respective states.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
So that's pretty strong indictment of the federal rule over education.
I mean, for the first two hundred years of the country,
we did pretty well educationally without a Department of Education.
Many of you, like me, completed our elementary, middle and
(06:34):
high school education without benefit of a federal Department of Education.
And like anything else ament once a government agency is created,
they stick around for a long time. There are a
lot of people who did very well had careers in
Washington and elsewhere. But are kids any better off today?
(06:56):
I don't know. This is one more sound bite from
Caroline Levitt, which I think encapsulates what the Trump administration
would like to do.
Speaker 3 (07:04):
Cut twenty five, so the Department of Education will be
much smaller than it is today. As you know, the
President's executive Order directed Linda McMahon to greatly minimize the agency.
So when it comes to student loans and pelgrants, those
will still be run out of the Department of Education.
But we don't need to be spending more than three
trillion dollars over the course of a few decades on
(07:25):
a department that's clearly failing in its initial intention to
educate our students.
Speaker 2 (07:31):
Yeah, she said, Pelgrant student loans will be administered by
the Department of Education in a much stripped down form,
and then other included of that will also, I guess
be Title I and funding for students with disabilities, others
(07:52):
funds which might be transferred other obligations of the Department
of Education could be transferred to the Small Business Administration
of Commerce Department. The bottom line is Donald Trump is
thinking about doing things differently, and most people don't like change.
(08:12):
I think that's and of course anybody who is working
at the Department of Education does not like change. But
when you look at the amount of money that we
have spent on public education. When you look at the
amount of money that has gone to teachers all over
(08:34):
the country, we're talking about you know, billions of dollars,
trillions of dollars. And most teachers I think do a
great job. They do the best job they can. And
I know that society has changed in the last few
decades and all of that, but the bottom line is
the teachers' unions, the union leadership has not allowed for
(08:59):
as much innovation and opportunity as I would have liked.
I would have liked to have seen more charter schools.
I would like to see more private schools. I would
like to see money that parents pay in their local taxes,
(09:20):
your real estate taxes, for example, if you live in
a city or a town, A lot of that goes
to the up upkeep of the local middle schools, elementary schools,
and high school So we're going to change it up.
If our statistics were off the chart and the US
was doing better than any country in the world, I
(09:42):
would argue, why change it. But everything that we've seen,
we keep seeing all of these scores that are not improving,
and look, I like to joke. And I say this
in all honesty. I want kids to be educated, and
I've always wanted them to be educated as much as possible, uh,
(10:03):
not necessarily at all. Go to college, Some going to
go to college, some go to go to trade schools.
I think we need more people who are looking to
actually start businesses and uh and become electricians and plumbers
and craftsmen and heating and ac uh technicians and roofers
(10:24):
and all and plumbers and all the skills that we need.
And those people will have a lifetime of occupational professional
professional security. If you're a plumber, if you're an electrician,
You're never going to be without a job. It's as
simple as that. So are you worried? Are you worried?
(10:48):
I'm not. I say I think it is time to,
you know, change it up. Let's see if we can
get our students in a better case. The final point
I'd like to make, and I want to hear you
whether you agree or disagree, is that each community, each
state knows what type of education they need for their students.
(11:10):
In a state like Massachusetts or Rhode Island or Connecticut,
we have different needs than more rural states. I think
not only of parts of New Hampshire and Vermont and Maine.
You have New England. There's really six states, but three
of more rural New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, and three of
more urban Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. Doesn't mean we
(11:32):
don't have rural areas, doesn't mean that New Hampshire and
Vermont don't have cities and towns. But on a whole,
it's quite different, very different feels to those states. Needless
to say, states across the country go to Kansas, go
to Oklahoma, go to Texas. Very different world. In Massachusetts,
(11:53):
we don't need a one size fits all. And by
the way, all the money that comes to Massachusett, it's
from Washington that all the politicians are don't we're losing
those money. Who are losing that money. Guess where Washington
gets the money? They they don't have trees down their
money trees. We send our taxes to Washington. People in
(12:14):
all other states send their taxes to Washington. And I'm
gonna say the money gets laundered down there, which has
of course a bad term. But the money, some of
it goes to support Washington, and then we get some
of it that comes back. Now, maybe there are some
states that send less money and get more back, and
I know that that argument is made, but I think
(12:35):
Massachusetts sends, on a per capital basis, much more money
down than we get back. You can't. You're only gonna
be able to get so much, and you're never gonna
get more than one hundred percent. In my opinion, six
seven four thirty, six seven nine three one ten thirty.
Is it time to bring the education of our kids
(12:57):
in our respective states back home to our respective states.
And if you're a teacher, talk to me. Tell me
why I'm right, or tell me why I'm wrong. If
you're an educational professional, tell me what the problem is.
If some of these programs are brought back to each
state and are patterned for the students in each at
(13:22):
every at each and every different state. Back on nights
out after.
Speaker 1 (13:26):
This, Now back to Dan ray Line from the Window
World night Side Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
Throw over, a couple of folks call and drop off.
If you're too shy, don't call. And if you're going
to call a talk show, Rob is not going to
take a message from you and say, oh, one of
our call has said this, No, this talk show gives
you an opportunity to speak to the eastern half of
the United States. That's all I can do for you.
Six one seven, two, five, four ten thirty, six one seven,
(13:55):
nine three one ten thirty. Education everything ends up. Look,
here's the Washington has some responsibilities. There's no question about that.
They have to run the government. Uh, they run Congress.
They they we have to support the White House. When
I when I say the White House, we have to
fund at the White House, fund the Supreme Court, fun Congress.
(14:18):
We all need to pay for an army and a navy,
and the Marines and the Air Force and all of that.
But beyond that, there's a few other things that that
I think are important. You know, federal programs, ocean programs
are important, FDA programs are important. But when you get
to education, I think that's a state obligation. I really do. Uh,
(14:40):
And that's why I'm not freaked out about it. Maybe
you are six one seven ten thirty or six one seven,
nine three one ten thirty. Let me start off with
Steven Lynn. Steve love to know what your thought is
on this. Thanks so much for calling it right head.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Hey, Dan, it seems like I always call you about
education issues. I spoke to you a months ago.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Well, I'm happy you do. Are you involved in education
as well? Give me a perspective.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Yeah, a wife who's a teacher, and you know, involved
in the school systems and whatnot. But hey, so I
agree that the Department of Education spends more money than
the benefits that they generate. You've made a statement that
you know the money goes to the teachers. It doesn't
go to the teachers. It goes to bureaucrats and administrators.
(15:28):
There's a superintendent, a super assistant superintendent, there's a curriculum instructor.
There's all of these administrative positions that have been created
because of the Department of Education that do not benefit
students directly. And the money is certainly not going into
the classrooms. It's going to everybody else but the people
who need it. And I agree that block funding back
(15:51):
to the States is the way to go.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
By the way, unless you have a question, don't hang up,
because I want to make sure that I'm clear with you.
First of all, thank you for that clarification. What I
meant to say was that in order to have a
school system, whether it's funded by in large part by
the federal government or funded in large part by Massachusetts.
(16:16):
The backbone of the school system are the teachers. I
don't have a beef with the teachers because I've watched
teachers I worked as when my kids were young, because
I was working nights on Channel four, I worked as
a teacher's aid once a month or so. Every parent
had to be the teacher's aid, you know, in the
(16:37):
school where my kids wet. But but you're right when
you talk about the structure that has built, the superintendents
and the assistant superintendents, You're absolutely right. That's the bureaucracy
that does nothing to educate kids or very little to
educate kids. The teacher. The education occurs in the classroom,
(16:57):
There's no question about that. And all the money that
either is taken out of your property taxes or comes
back money that you sent in your income taxes to Washington,
all of that does not go directly to the teachers.
And what the most of it that doesn't go to
teachers doesn't really help with education. So I agree with
(17:17):
your pointed and I'll take your criticism if it was
intended as a criticism.
Speaker 4 (17:24):
Now, just just a clarification that's fine.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
I like the word clarification better, but but I can
still take it as a criticism. Don't worry about it, Okay.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
All right, thanks Dan, appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (17:35):
Thanks Steve, talk to you soon. Six triple eight nine
ten thirty. I think this is an important question. Let
me ask you this, and maybe I have to simplify
it to get people to respond to this issue. The
Trump administration is basically changing the relationship of the state
(18:00):
to the federal government. Okay, A lot of power now
is existing at the federal level. We've seen it in
so many different ways. This is one that I agree
with Trump on. I don't agree with all of them,
but this is one that I think can be returned
to the states, meaning the government that is closest to
(18:23):
you in whether it's the Massachusetts government or even better
than that, the town in which you live. If there
are wealthy towns, they can provide they don't need support
from Washington other federal government. As much as poorer communities
(18:46):
want to support poorer communities, that's fine. We can. We
can have programs like that that if the city has
whatever the percentages of students that there were ways to
figure this out. There are ways to get money either
through the state camp or from Washington to communities to help.
But the system we have right now is not working.
(19:08):
And if the system isn't working that we have right now,
and it seems to be taking us in the wrong direction,
why stay with it? That's my question. Love to hear
from you if you have an interest in the education system.
One of the reasons I have a great interest in
the education system is I have a grandson. He's only
two and a half. He's going to be going into
the education system. He's going to learn a lot for
(19:31):
me and my family before he goes in the education system.
I have sung the alphabet to him as I did
to my own children. I want him to have every opportunity.
I want every child to have every opportunity. But I
don't think the best way to give kids an opportunity
is to simply continue to send our money on a
(19:53):
pipeline to Washington. Have Washington take a lot of that money,
keep it, keep it in Washington, spend it on the
bureaucrats or whatever in Washington, and then send some of
it back to Massachusetts and the other forty nine states
six one, seven, two, five, four, ten, thirty six, one, seven, nine, three, one,
ten thirty. Here's a simple question. If you're satisfied with
(20:14):
our public education system today, you should oppose what President
Trump is doing. If you're dissatisfied with it, and whether
you have kids in the school system or not, you
can read the studies that say the kids are not
doing well in math and reading scores. If you're dissatisfied
with the public education system, and if you want more
(20:37):
options for education generally I eat more charter schools, more,
more opportunity for homeschooling, more parochial schools, all of that,
all of that, you should support this. We'll be back
on Night's side. I got a bunch of lines here,
fill them up, coming back right after the news at
the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (21:01):
If you're on Night Side with Dan Ray on wz
Boston's news radio.
Speaker 2 (21:07):
If, by the way, you have kids in school right now,
I'd love to know how you feel they're doing. And
if they're in a public school, private school, or whatever.
Love to know. And you don't have to tell us
what school system they're in. If you want to, you can.
And if you think your school system is doing a
great job, for whatever, your taxes, your pay I love
(21:30):
to know are you getting a bang for your buck,
because I'll tell you your kids only have one shot at
those twelve grades from first grade to twelve. It's as
simple as that. And when it's over, it's over. Believe me,
it can be over pretty quickly. I've gone through it.
It doesn't when you don't. When you're there, it doesn't
seem like it's going quickly, but it goes real quickly.
(21:50):
Joe is in Revere. Hey Joe, next on Nightside, How are.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
You can thank you for taking my call?
Speaker 6 (21:57):
I welcome.
Speaker 5 (21:58):
One of the thing that's going on is a lot
of people think mister Trump is trying to I'm sorry,
President Trump is trying to cut benefits for kids in
wheelchairs and stuff like that, and they're not going to
get the education they need. They're totally wrong. He's just
trying to transfer that into who's supposed to be taking
(22:21):
care of it. So he's aliminating a department as like
you said, they're not producing and the state and government
is supposed to be handling these things anyway, not a
total different department.
Speaker 2 (22:37):
Well, as I said, Joe as Education, you know, Joe,
as I said, the Department of Education was founded. I
was created in seven, in nineteen seventy nine, not seventeen
seventy nine or eighteen seventy nine. So we dive as
(23:00):
a country for over two hundred years without a department
of education, and arguably we did better. We produced a
lot of great business people, we produced great athletes, we
produced great businesses, we create we produced great leaders in
(23:22):
those two hundred years we didn't have a Department of education.
And now we're looking at all of these reports that
say the reading scores are down, the math scores are down,
so you know a lot of kids are getting left behind.
Speaker 5 (23:37):
Yes, my son is in special education himself, graduating this
year and I'm trying to do college for him.
Speaker 2 (23:45):
Now.
Speaker 5 (23:45):
The forums and stuff very tough.
Speaker 2 (23:48):
Those Yeah, Okay, where's he looking at?
Speaker 7 (23:50):
Where's he looking to? All right?
Speaker 5 (23:54):
Dan, I can't send him an all his dame, buddy,
He's going to try Trinity College.
Speaker 2 (23:59):
And what's wrong with that? Wait a second, what's wrong?
Speaker 5 (24:04):
I can't.
Speaker 2 (24:05):
I can't, Joe, Joe, There's nothing wrong with community. Joe,
listen to me, please, I'm trying to have a conversation
with you. This community colleges are great. First, First of all,
you're not on the rat race where you got to
get it done in four years. Maybe his pace of
learning is a little faster, maybe it's a little slower,
(24:28):
but you rack up those credits and then you take
those credits to a state college. I graduated from Boston
State College. That's not even in existence anymore. So, believe me,
there are some of the most successful people I know.
Some of the most successful people I know did not
(24:48):
go to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, did not go to Notre Dame.
You know, So your son's your son's going to be fine.
What is he? Yeah, we're having we're talking over each
other here a lot you so this beer with me
for a second? Do you have a headset on or
something or are you having trouble hearing me?
Speaker 5 (25:05):
No, let me let me totally shut the way you
off altogether.
Speaker 2 (25:09):
Yeah. The radio being shut off is a great idea
because what happens, folks, as Rob has explained to you,
I'm sure there's a ten second delay. So what happens
is if you're listening to the radio, that kills the conversation, Joe,
because that's ten seconds ahead of where you want to be. Okay,
tell me when you get the radio off, Joe. I
(25:31):
don't want to rush you take your time. It's off, off,
it's off. Okay, now can you hear me pretty well?
Absolutely excellent. There's stills a delay here. I don't know
what sort of phone we're on. What does your son
want to do? You said, he's got to.
Speaker 5 (25:47):
Look, I don't buy a motoroller and you'll be fine. Dan, Okay, yes, yes,
you're killing my show, Joe.
Speaker 2 (25:57):
You're killing play show.
Speaker 7 (26:00):
Outside, Joe.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Look, thank you, thank you for the call. Best of
luck with your son. Get him into a community college
and he's going to do great. Uh and he will.
He will exceed your expectations. Trust me on that. Okay,
and get a new phone. Get a new phone. Rob,
you got to emphasize to everybody that, as I'm sure
you do. Keep the radio off. Jennifer is in Brockdon Jennifer,
(26:23):
you're next on Nights Side. I hope you got a
better phone than Joe had. Go ahead, Jennifer.
Speaker 8 (26:28):
Hi, Dan, So, I have two daughters, ones in high school,
ones in middle school. My older daughter has had a great,
good experience in public school. She's done well, she was
an honor she's in a vocational school. She's top of
her class, she's working an electrical company, headed straight into
the union, doing great. Yeah, the school system has done
(26:53):
well for her, but in a district, it has not
done the same for a majority of the students, you know,
and you know, there's a lot of reasons that I
can be a factor behind that. But really what I
wanted to talk about was my younger daughter. My younger
daughter was born with disability, so she had developmental delay
(27:17):
and it you know, continued, so then it was persistent
developmental delay. And then over the years we learned more
about diagnoses and whatnot, and it took It was a process,
and I had the support of many good teachers, and
I felt trusted. I felt like I could trust the process.
(27:38):
I felt like I could trust the team. I felt
like we were all working together and that was great
up until fifth grade. And then as she was getting
ready for middle school, I didn't feel like she was
ready prepared and that we needed to do more. We
needed to learn more, do more, testing, understand more. And
(28:00):
came to realization that she had actually had She was
getting by, but turns out she has reading and writing
disability dyslexia. So we had multiple meetings, and I agree
with the problem about you know, administration taking a bulk
of the money from the federal government that the state
(28:23):
distributes and not get into the classroom. I agree with that,
and but I worry about eliminating the Department of Education
because there is a lot of protective mechanisms in place
that I've utilized the last two years. So I've been,
you know, managing all by myself her advocates for her
(28:45):
whole life until last year where we talked about placement.
I got the team to acknowledge her needs and that
she would need certain type of instruction in the classroom.
And I thought that we were all fat But when
she reached the new school, nothing was in place as
(29:05):
it was supposed to be. So called meeting blah blah blah.
I knew my rights, but basically I felt dismissed, like
completely totally.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
What grade level? What grade level is your daughter at
right now?
Speaker 8 (29:21):
She's seventh now, so okay, so you.
Speaker 2 (29:25):
Have some time, Uh, you have some time? What grade?
What grade level does she read at? Where? Where was
she shared? Okay, so she's got a gap to ok Yeah,
how much of that?
Speaker 8 (29:42):
We've also learned that she has just calculadys calcula dysgraphia.
Her disabilities are, you know, not as simple as what
I had understood. And how I got to that point
was through hiring an advocate, learning more about my rights
in the process, and kind of pushing the district they
(30:03):
could like like literally like I felt like they were
dismissing me. But once I got the advocate and then
she knew what I what my rights were, and how
to proceed and navigate, It's been difficult. It's funds like
literally a year and a half of how but finally
like we're in agreement. It's been a long process and
(30:24):
oh man, I am so this year we've had good teachers.
Last year not so much.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
Yeah, you sound exhausted just trying to have a conversation
with you here, Jennifer You.
Speaker 8 (30:38):
Yeah, I know, I am.
Speaker 6 (30:39):
It's yea.
Speaker 2 (30:40):
I'm just saying that you've you've you've said so many
things that I wanted to comment on and I've kind
of let it go here. Uh, you sound to me
like you're emotionally exhausted from what you've gone. Yeah, No,
I unders said that. I'm just telling you that you
sound to me that like you're emotionally exhausted, You have
two daughters, your your older daughter is about to graduate.
(31:02):
It sounds like she's she's pretty much all set right,
pretty much? Yeah, pretty much? Okay? Who has come forward
in the school department in Brockton to help you? Has
anyone come forward? I mean, you know, obviously.
Speaker 8 (31:20):
I had to go outside of the school to the
you know, the main headquarters, to the department all the
way up like literally, like our meetings are now, you know,
we're not just the usual team. We also have like
you know, the chairs, the co chairs, the department heads.
Those are the people that are in my meetings with
me and my advocate.
Speaker 2 (31:41):
Now, so you got to the point I'm trying to make, Jennifer,
is this your daughter? Instead of that money being used
for uh, let's say, additional teachers or another you know,
a teaching assistant who could be assigned to your daughter,
it sounds to me like that that money is own
to all of these people you're meeting with, and they're
(32:04):
not doing anything for your daughter other than sitting in
a meeting with you. And that's what's the problem with
our system. It seems to me that there's just too much,
too much administration. I mean, look, I don't know how
many children in your school are like your daughter, but
(32:25):
your daughter obviously is needs some additional assistance, okay, and
it should have been provided to her. Go ahead. You
said you had something you wanted to say. I didn't
want to interrupt you. Go ahead, No, go right ahead,
you go. No, no, no, you go because you got something.
You want to say something else. I was going to
(32:46):
say something, but go ahead.
Speaker 8 (32:48):
The whole district is struggling. Like I say, my daughter
has disability, but she's doing well. We like I've made
sure I meet with all her teachers. I am on
top of things, and I'm making sure that we're doing
the best that we can. But as far as like
she does with her I don't want to compare her
with her peers. But you know, there are children without
(33:11):
disability that she's doing just as well as they are
with a disability. So I don't want to make it
seem like the you know, the special Department is stilled
my daughter. They haven't entirely.
Speaker 2 (33:22):
Someone's failed your daughter, Jennifer. I don't think it's you,
but but it sounds to me like your daughter did
not get the help she needed first grade, second grade,
third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade. Jennifer, I'm up
on my break. I wish I could have more conversation
with you, but I can't tell you how much, how
badly I feel for you. Don't give up, don't.
Speaker 8 (33:46):
I wanted to give a different perspective because you know, Oh,
I got it.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
I got the perspective. I got it. I got it, Jennifer.
I wish I could have given you some some better,
better advice, but I know that she's got a good
advocate than you. Thanks, Thanks so much, thank you, good
luck luck you two back on Nightside after this.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Now back to Dan Ray live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (34:15):
Let me get i Leen in here quickly. She's been
waiting on the longest I lean. Next on Nightside. Your
thoughts on what President Trump is doing.
Speaker 6 (34:24):
I think it's a very good idea. I am. I
think that the the control needs to be more local,
not not nationwide. And I just thought i'd share my
(34:45):
own experience. I am. I went through teacher training at
UMass Boston after the company I worked for went out
of business, Digital Equipment Corporation, and then I was I
(35:08):
had a wonderful, wonderful student teaching experience. But then I
was unable to find a job because the jobs were
all tied up in tenure. But I ended up with
a level four class, which was these were children who
(35:30):
were considered, you know, not educable.
Speaker 2 (35:34):
Or were you teaching? Were you teaching in Boston? Where
were you teaching?
Speaker 6 (35:39):
Well, I was teaching in a suburb.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
No problem, okay, yeah, And so what happened.
Speaker 6 (35:47):
When I went into the class. I ended up taking
over the class because the teacher had had tenure, but
she was up against her last semester and just a
that she wasn't going to work the last semester that
she taught. So I inherited this class. And I loved those.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Early early retirement I guess right.
Speaker 6 (36:12):
But these kids said to me, we don't want to
learn any We don't want to learn nothing, they said.
Speaker 8 (36:20):
And I said, but.
Speaker 6 (36:25):
Anyway, I I explored with them subjects areas that might
be of interest, like well, you know, this was I
was teaching chemistry in high school. So I said, oh,
chemistry is cover so many interesting fields. And you know,
(36:52):
I made a few suggestions nah, And then I said,
well what about drugs?
Speaker 2 (36:59):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (36:59):
Yeah, man drugs.
Speaker 2 (37:02):
That you found out something they were interested in. Well again, teachers,
you have to you were innovative and that's and that
you should have. You would have been a great teacher
if you stuck with it. Eileen, I got my friend
Harvey Silverglada on here and I want to get him
in just before the eleven o'clock news. As always, thank
you for that's a very interesting occupational experience you've shared
(37:25):
with us tonight. Thanks for what you did.
Speaker 6 (37:28):
Okay, thanks appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (37:31):
Good night. Let's go to Harvey. Harvey, gonna get you
in here before the eleven o'clock news. Going ahead, Harvey.
Speaker 7 (37:37):
The Department of Education has nothing to do with a
solution to public education. Just like a clock that's right
twice a day that where it's not working. The Trump
administration is right about this one. The problem of the
teachers unions. If you have a reader teachers union's contract,
(37:57):
it's unbelievable. You cannot get rid of a bad teacher.
The solutions to public education is to get rid of
the unions. I'm a great supporter of unions in the
private sector and a great opponent in the public sector.
And that's because in the public sector. There's only one side.
(38:18):
In the private sector. Management is operating with the shareholders
money and the teachers' union and the lady union is
on the other side for own financial interest. The public schools,
you have only one side, it's the taxpayers. And so
(38:40):
public education has a huge union problem and the Trump
administration has zero to do with it.
Speaker 2 (38:48):
And by the way, we're going to see here in
Massachusetts in the years ahead and maybe in the very
near years ahead, a push to legal teacher strikes here
at Massachusetts, and when that happens, it's going to get
real ugly in terms of education in my opinion.
Speaker 7 (39:10):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (39:11):
Yeah, And that's the analysis. Harvey is, as always is
right right on the money. I almost called you last
week on a couple of the constitutional issues, and maybe
we can talk sometime in the next couple of days
over some of the deportations that are being considered and
(39:35):
obviously some of the cases that are being brought up
by various district court judges around the country, and I'd
love to get your perspective on that as well, if
you if you have some time, yep.
Speaker 9 (39:49):
All right, thanks, Harvey. I will talk to you in
the next few days. Thank you, my friend has always
and thanks for weighing in on this tonight. You put
it in perspective precisely. There's nothing that I can add
to what you just set. Thanks my friend. We'll talk soon,
Harvey Silver Glate. Ladies and gentlemen. Thanks Harvey. He nailed it.
He nailed it. And again, I don't want to make
(40:11):
this into an anti teachers union, but I think it's
important that we at least consider it. We'll be back
on Nightside right after the eleven.
Speaker 2 (40:19):
If you want to talk about this, great, If not,
we can, we'll go to a couple of other topics.
I think this is fascinating because it's our future. The
kids we're educating today will pay your Social Security next tomorrow.
That's why we all have a stake in the education
of these kids. We're coming back on Nightside.
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