thoughts on education cuts? (Pittsburgh, Fox Chapel: to live in, assessment, friendly)

[ex-burgher]

All these discussions about rich and poor school districts make me glad I'm now living in North Carolina where school districts are county wide. We have rich schools and poor schools, but it's easier to educate poor kids when everyone shares the burden.

[BrianTH]

Originally Posted by ex-burgher

All these discussions about rich and poor school districts make me glad I'm now living in North Carolina where school districts are county wide. We have rich schools and poor schools, but it's easier to educate poor kids when everyone shares the burden.

I would very much support countywide school districts in PA.

[ex-burgher]

Originally Posted by BrianTH

I would very much support countywide school districts in PA.

I agree, it would be great, but politically I think it will never be possible in Allegheny county. Just setting up all the zones for various schools would make so many people angry, change home values,etc. It's a big issue even here when they want to move one individual subdivision to another school. What a mess it would be to start from scratch in a populous county like Allegheny.

[stburr91]

The teachers unions would never allow a county district.

[gg]

Originally Posted by Copanut

I assume you're kidding.

Lets take a look at the idea of private schools only. Central Catholic is dirt cheap and it is private. My school tax bill alone would send my kid to Central. You might think I am kidding, but I am not. MY TAX BILL PAYS FOR CENTRAL. Hello? Guess minds closed really can't look at things from all sides. If we got rid of public schools and just had people pay for school, it might work better.

I wanted to add my kid pays over $2 for lunch. I could get two McDoubles for that price. Once again, I guess I am paying for a few other kid lunches out of my pocket. To be honest, I am tired of this. I am due for a reassessment on my home when Allegheny County's leaches raise my taxes. I am going to start saying NO to handouts. That includes schools. Everyone pays their own way. I have had enough.

[gg]

Originally Posted by stburr91

The teachers unions would never allow a county district.

Nor would the people in control of the county thank goodness. I don't want to pick up anymore poor people's tab than I already do. Let the PPS stand on its own. Sorry, but if people don't pick themselves up, it is all a waste of time.

[gg]

Originally Posted by ex-burgher

All these discussions about rich and poor school districts make me glad I'm now living in North Carolina where school districts are county wide. We have rich schools and poor schools, but it's easier to educate poor kids when everyone shares the burden.

Why, so all the schools are mediocre at best? Look at NC. Not exactly the brightest lot down that way. No offense, but seriously, the schools down there are not good. Maybe better than Mississippi, but not much. Close to Alabama though.

[Aqua Teen Carl]

Originally Posted by h_curtis

Lets take a look at the idea of private schools only. Central Catholic is dirt cheap and it is private. My school tax bill alone would send my kid to Central. You might think I am kidding, but I am not. MY TAX BILL PAYS FOR CENTRAL. Hello? Guess minds closed really can't look at things from all sides. If we got rid of public schools and just had people pay for school, it might work better.

I wanted to add my kid pays over $2 for lunch. I could get two McDoubles for that price. Once again, I guess I am paying for a few other kid lunches out of my pocket. To be honest, I am tired of this. I am due for a reassessment on my home when Allegheny County's leaches raise my taxes. I am going to start saying NO to handouts. That includes schools. Everyone pays their own way. I have had enough.

You're losing me here bud. This country would turn into third world real quick if people couldn't afford to give themselves and their kids a basic education. People can't even make ends meet as it is.

[Katarina Witt]

We don't have all countywide school districts here in CO, though there are a few in the metro Denver area, e.g. Jefferson County and Douglas County. However, we do have large districts which bring about economy of scale, and help mitigate the "rich district/poor district" aura.

[BrianTH]

Earlier happy hours on Sundays?

Anyway, I agree the politics of a countywide school district would be nearly inconceivable. On the other hand, we may get to the point where the status quo is unsustainable, and there is in fact an education provision in the state constitution:

The General Assembly shall provide for the maintenance and support of a thorough and efficient system of public education to serve the needs of the Commonwealth.

The PA courts have dismissed prior litigation under this clause as outside the scope of what the courts can adjudicate (although there is a lot more data about performance and necessary costs available today, so those prior holdings may have been undermined). But if school districts actually start shutting down for lack of adequate state funding, then it could lead to a very different result in the courts, including court-ordered consolidations.