Schools’ Trilemma: Kids, Voters, Jobs

K–12 districts face a three‑way trade‑off: deliver high academic quality, honor democratic accountability to local voters, and provide good local jobs. Because children don’t vote, adult employment and community politics often dominate, leading to wasteful resistance to closures or consolidations that evidence suggests don’t hurt learning. Naming this trilemma clarifies why ‘community institution’ rhetoric can derail student‑first decisions. — A memorable frame helps policymakers and voters see why student outcomes lag and how governance and labor incentives—not just funding or culture wars—shape school performance.