Film making

It is an anti- union documentary movie with a controversial view that centers on children’s lives and opportunities being wasted. The Garden State is being singled out because its high education budget contrasts with its monumental dropout record and its student’s awfully dismal scores in national achievement tests.

However, there is a growing group of people who argue that there is so much room for improvement in the country’s educational system without increasing the budget. A Former TV reporter and current movie director for one, believes that the school system is much to blame for most of its woes. A former school superintendent that he interviewed for his movie believes that the widespread, persistent and institutionalized dishonesty in the preparation and implementation of the educational budget as the foremost problem. He also blames the profoundly deep-rooted, self-serving teacher’s union as the one responsible for the country’s twisted educational system.

Teachers unions are also being made answerable for thinking only of itself to the detriment of the students. The tenure system is being pointed in particular as the reason why at least 40% of the teachers, according to one estimate, are not good mentors. Union officials are quick to point out that they are only protecting their members from being dismissed by capricious education officials and politicians. They claim there are enough provisions to remove bad and unqualified teachers from their ranks.

The director used the gamut of his television reporting craft in making the movie. His information packed condemnation was presented like in-depth news by using his selection of full headshot and side street interviews, stilted B roll, and special graphic effects. Shifting naturally from one viewpoint to another he efficiently denounced the tenure system while defending his proposed voucher system and the stonewalling of charter schools. Factual information have compensated for the movie’s deficiency in method and construction.

The movie benefited from the director’s experience as a former news anchor by using the crafts familiar to documentary reporting like talking heads, street side interviews, and remedial graphics. Melodramatic shots of a school parking lot overflowing with high-end cars and a school district president riding on a limo to attend a budget hearing gets the viewers’ attention and ire, helping to convey the message that they want to impart.

Critics are quick to counter that the movie contradicts its basic claim that reforms can be made without changing the total amount of the budget. High performing elite urban schools have a high per-head budget. Only the cash strapped religious charter schools can afford to run in the current budget. Implementing the proposed solution of tapping chartered schools will only drive students to the church basements or rented spaces of religious schools. They also predict that the voucher system, with additional funds from the parents will only be able to enroll the students in more expensive private schools who only have the same test ratings as the traditional schools that they came from in the first place.

Teacher’s Union and the tenure process are both being blamed for the shortage of qualified teachers. Teachers unions want to make sure that they have a steady job for life and protect its members from dismissal from service including the bad ones. However, teacher’s union officials dispute the claim, arguing that tenure is meant to protect teachers from the whims and caprices of the school administration and politicians. They claim there are enough ways to remove poor teachers from the schools.

The existence of a real problem cannot be denied. The movie has presented much factual information to be dismissed outright. The sad part is, we can never have real reforms until the school officials admit that there really is a problem.

JB Spins story of The Cartel, a film by Bob Bowdon.