Let's begin with a choice.
Say there's a check in the mail. It's meant to help you run your household. You can use it to keep the lights on, the water running and food on the table. Would you rather that check be for $9,794 or $28,639?
It's not a trick question. It's the story of America's schools in two numbers.
That $9,794 is how much money the Chicago Ridge School District in Illinois spent per child in 2013 (the number has been adjusted by Education Week to account for regional cost differences). It's well below that year's national average of $11,841.
Ridge's two elementary campuses and one middle school sit along Chicago's southern edge. Roughly two-thirds of its students come from low-income families, and a third are learning English as a second language.
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Schools in Virginia(Fairfax, etc) spend about 9K per student. MD spends double and doesn't have anywhere near the results.
ReplyDeleteThe old story of the haves and have-nots. The problem I see is the 17K figure. I will bet my house, my children who are just normal everyday kids don't see a fraction of that money. We continue to throw money at schools and kids in hopes we see results. Well, we don't. The schools can be brand new, the teachers all highly qualified etc, but if the student does not want to be there, they will not learn, and others in the classroom will suffer.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it is all a pissing contest. Years ago, the outrage was other counties spent more on their kids than we did. Now we spend more and still the same ole crap. FARM and Black students are not doing well, we need more money! How about spending money on the kids (black, latin, white etc) who want to be there?
The article went on the mention the facilities and just how awful they are. You know what, maybe the supers need to be better at prioritizing. They did not mention what the money in the poorest of poor districts went to? I would be curious about that if i lived in those areas.
Something will definitely have to give!!!
ReplyDeleteWe no longer have the tax base to support this kind of spending and incomes are going down. We can't afford the bloated Administrators and teachers salaries when most households are only making around 30K per year and the only jobs available are in the service and retail sector with only 30 hours or less making under 10 dollars per hour. You can't tax and spend your way into prosperity!!! Things have really not improved that much since the great recession started in 2008. Some economist are calling this a soft depression.
My home-schooled son will graduate this year. His average is 90+%, an 'A' student by almost any measure. He even has an A in Algebra.
ReplyDeleteWe spent less than $500/year to accomplish that.
The problem with public education costs vs. outcomes can be summarized in two words:
Teachers Unions.
10:50
ReplyDeleteYou have hit the nail on the head!!!
I think the disruptive students who don't want to learn also has a large effect on the outcome of learning.
10:50 here.. I just want to clarify that I didn't say 'teachers', I said teachers UNIONS.
ReplyDeleteThere are a lot of good teachers that can't do their jobs because of policies that have been supported by the unions, and because a lot of the money is sucked up by excessive 'administration'.
There would be a lot more money if they would quit the free breakfast and free lunch for kids. Parents are supposed to be parents, and feed their own damn kids! Most on these free programs are already getting SNAP cards too!
ReplyDeleteJoe - So glad you picked up this story. Money isn't the answer, because districts across the country are doing more with less. For Wicomico to be spending that much above the national average PER STUDENT and be one of the very lowest performing counties in the state and region is a SHAME. Thanks for telling the truth with this posting--
ReplyDeleteCancel all the free babysitting programs called "Young three's, young fours, pre-school, per-kindergarten", and the free breakfast and lunch programs.
ReplyDeleteBig waste of taxpayers money. A study proved that these per-education programs to get "Slow" kids up to a level of the majority, only allows them a few years of equality, then by 3rd. or 4th. grade they are failing again. Bottom line, if your kid is stupid, he is stupid.
Now we have a chance to elect the Board of Education members. So let's get school vouchers on the ballot that'll fix this fiscal problem
ReplyDelete