[Friday Story] The Unchecked 'Education Soetongryeong'

Execution of up to Half of the Entire Local Government Budget
Difficulty in City and Provincial Councils Checking Due to Constituency Issues
Maximum Term of 12 Years... Neutrality in Politics Weakened
Lower Election Interest Compared to Local Council Members

"Look at the current education superintendents these days. They are distributing tens of thousands of laptops to students. It's not because there is demand, but because they have leftover funds."

This is a complaint made by a private university president in a private conversation. While universities are facing crises due to declining school-age populations and financial exhaustion, the education offices are taking the opposite path, he said. In fact, the Gyeongbuk Provincial Office of Education distributed 30,000 laptops to all teachers in the province for remote work during COVID-19, but was criticized as a 'populist policy' ahead of elections. The Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education spent 18 billion won on a 'free laptop distribution project for first-year middle school students,' but about half of the students refused to borrow the laptops, causing a problem.

◇Budget Execution from 9 Trillion Won to 900 Billion Won

Education superintendents execute education budgets that account for one-quarter to half of local government budgets. This year, regional education budgets vary widely, from as much as 19 trillion won (Gyeonggi) to as little as 870.4 billion won (Sejong). Local education budgets are allocated through local fiscal grants based on the number of schools and students. The less self-generated revenue a local area has compared to the metropolitan area, the smaller the budget gap between the local government and the education office. Gyeonggi Province’s annual budget is 33.6036 trillion won, of which the education budget (19.1959 trillion won) accounts for 57%. Daegu City’s annual budget is 10.1448 trillion won, with local education finance at 3.7229 trillion won (36%). Policies such as free school meals and free education can also be implemented by education superintendents in cooperation with cities and provinces. While local councils are responsible for checking education superintendents, they often lack expertise in education and are frequently dominated by the same political party, resulting in poor oversight.

An official from the Ministry of Education said, "Sufficient budgets are provided so that education superintendents can focus on specific projects according to their philosophy or values. Education superintendents can also take the lead in establishing educational institutions or special schools," but added, "Although city and provincial councils oversee budget execution, council members tend to maintain good relations with education superintendents because local issues are at stake."

Education Superintendent’s Personnel Authority Creating ‘Human Barriers’

The personnel authority of education superintendents undermines the political neutrality of public officials. Education superintendents exercise personnel authority over education directors of education support offices, heads of education offices, principals, vice principals, and other teachers affiliated with the education office. When an education superintendent changes, personnel aligned with the new superintendent’s code are appointed to key positions, and department heads and section chiefs are replaced. Especially, the authority over principal appointments and promotions of principals and vice principals is crucial. In 2010, former Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Gong Jeong-taek was arrested on charges of accepting bribes and manipulating promotion rankings of principals and education office executives.

The fact that up to three terms are possible also strengthens power. Education superintendent elections allow candidacy without party nomination, and the ‘incumbent premium’ is significant. There is even a joke that ‘three terms are possible as long as health permits.’ A source in the education sector said, "Although political neutrality is supposed to be maintained, the story is different in local power. If you don’t line up, you can be excluded for up to 12 years by the ‘human barrier.’ Allowing three terms is excessive."

Why Education Superintendents Are Politically Neutral Yet Divided into Conservative and Progressive

Education superintendents are elected separately considering the professionalism of the position and political neutrality. Although candidates can register without party nomination, education superintendent candidates compete by dividing into progressive, moderate, and conservative camps. The progressive camp mainly consists of former members of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, while the conservative camp often includes candidates from the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations. Eligibility for education superintendent candidate registration requires no party membership for one year and at least three years of experience in education or educational administration. In 2014, candidates could register without education experience, and at that time, lawyer Ko Seung-deok ran. The education superintendent election has been held by direct vote since 2010, and this year is the fourth election.

Interest in the election itself is low. According to a 2018 local election survey by the National Election Commission, only 43.6% of respondents showed interest in the education superintendent election. An education sector official pointed out, "The blind spot of education superintendent elections is that residents do not care much about who becomes superintendent, and voters tend to vote for someone whose name they have heard at least once. Those with vested interests have many mechanisms to maintain their position and find it easier to win elections." A representative from the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations said, "As the education superintendent election has changed into a structure where ‘education experts’ find it difficult to run, people with political backing and high name recognition have a greater chance of winning."

Conflict Between Conservative Government and Progressive Education Superintendents Expected

Since the Yoon Seok-yeol administration took office, there is interest in how many progressive education superintendents will emerge. In the last election, 14 out of 17 education superintendents nationwide came from the progressive camp. Especially in this election, conservative education superintendent candidates are showing more active efforts toward ‘unification’.

Depending on the election results, education policies in each region may fluctuate significantly. Depending on the political orientation of the education superintendent, there is a possibility of confrontation with the government over issues such as the abolition of autonomous private high schools, international high schools, and foreign language high schools, or the implementation of nationwide standardized tests. In 2014, Superintendent Cho Hee-yeon was elected on a pledge to abolish autonomous private high schools and clashed with the Ministry of Education during the Park Geun-hye administration. Conservative education superintendent candidates have vowed to abolish student human rights ordinances and innovation schools and have proposed pledges to revive academic achievement evaluations. If the policy to abolish autonomous private high schools, which was scheduled to be fully implemented with the 2025 high school credit system, becomes ineffective, it is uncertain whether progressive education superintendents will accept it quietly.

Professor Song Ki-chang of the Department of Education at Sookmyung Women’s University explained, "This time, conservative education superintendent candidates are likely to make significant advances. There will likely be a major confrontation over the issue of autonomous private high schools."