The Eureka Reporter (CA), December 1, 2007

Imagine opening the door to a new, $400,000 home in Arcata.

That hefty price tag represents the community's median home price. But at least that means a great neighborhood. And half a million dollars surely guarantees access to a quality public school system. Right?

Not really. At the local Arcata High School, just 59 percent of 11th-graders achieved proficiency in English in the California Standards Test in 2006. And only 36 percent of those taking the Early Assessment Program were deemed ready for college-level English.

With results like that, $400,000 doesn't seem like such a good investment.

'Throughout California, such school performance has become too common. Even in the poshest zip codes, the state's public schools are failing to provide students with a satisfactory education or to prepare them for college.

The data are shocking. At more than one in 10 middle-class California public schools, a majority of students in at least one grade level scores below proficiency in English or math. Nationwide, six in 10 non-poor fourth- and eighth-graders in piiblic schools score below proficiency in math and reading.

Unfortunately, Humboldt County's schools typify this trend.

At McKinleyville High School, a California Distinguished School in 2007, just 50 percent of 11th graders achieved proficiency on the state English exam in 2006. And a paltry 30 percent of the 141 students taking the Early Assessrnent Program were deemed ready for college-level English.

With the area's median home prices near $370,000, Santiago parents should ask whether such underperforming schools justify their significant mortgage payments.

And given such mediocre test scores, one must wonder how California decides which schools should be labeled "Distinguished."

These schools, of course, don't fit our preconceived notions of failing institutions.

Less than a third of the students are poor, and very few are non-native English speakers or disabled. Many parents have advanced degrees. And most - if not all - teachers are certified. In other words, despite the conventional wisdom, low-performing schools aren't just an inner-city problem.

Fortunately, there is a solution. It starts with breaking the geographically enforced monopoly on public schooling. Let all California parents, regardless of income or address, choose their children's schools. Such freedom would also introduce some much-needed competition into the educational system, pressuring underperforming schools to shape up or lose students.

Free choice programs would expand the educational opportunities for all students without putting parents - or state governments - in the poorhouse.

Given the skyrocketing cost of homes in Humboldt County and the subpar performances of many of its schools, it's time for school choice here and throughout the rest of California.