Thayn's big idea

Steve Thayn, in his quest to promote (his kind of) family values, has proposed a new plan for pre-school education. His chief goal is to keep kids at home with their mothers before going off to first grade. Here's his plan, as reported by the Statesman.

The measure, which Thayn has vowed to introduce in the 2009 Legislature, would divide up the average $4,500 per-student annual cost of kindergarten, with half the cash going to parents, a quarter going to school districts and a quarter to a fund that shores up public education during tough economic times.

Giving credit where it's due, I think Thayn is doing some original thinking. Putting money into a family's pocket, educating kids, saving for a rainy day, all good ideas. I kind of like the idea.

The one drawback I see is, what happens if the parents elect this plan, but don't educate their kids well enough to meet the standard for entering first grade? The child will be starting off behind the other students.

So, I have a suggestion to Thayn. When the child doesn't pass the test, the parents will not get the money. In that case, redirect the parent's money to a tutoring program for that child to get him or her up to speed as soon as possible. The parents will have to agree to the tutoring program when they sign up for the pre-school program.

Steve Thayn and I agreeing on some social engineering. Look out the window; you might see pigs flying.