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Billions, year after year, pour out from the fed, state and local governments and ostensibly end at the school districts and the individual schools. But the schools remain horrible, only get horribler.
This isnt a question about quality of teaching or parental involvement or taxes or curricula.
Where is all this money? It doesnt just disappear, it goes somewhere. What are the stops and diversions along the pipeline?
That's the million-dollar-question here in DC. Some of the worst schools in the nation, and one of the biggest per-student budgets. Teachers unions are the largest culprit in my opinion. Union demands placed on school systems nationwide suck a large portion of the dollars allocated for education right into their coffers. Teachers are simply the enablers. For every pension dollar and union due fee, thats one less dollar to educate little Jimmy. That's my guess. Blame it on the unions and corruption.
Obviously each school manages to use up all of their funds even if their results are horrible. Most schools and districts are top heavy, too many admins with high salaries while begging for more money to hire teachers. There's waste in nearly every program as well. Anything the government decides to 'invest' in becomes a big money pit....you never really get to see where all the money goes...they just always want more.
From what I've seen, there is a lot that goes to making the schools look pretty. This gives people something to point to when they run for office, but it doesn't educate anyone.
Every school district is different. Yes there may be some commonalities, but each district is managed differently. I suspect that what is needed in any particular under performing school is also different. It can be quite expensive dealing with all issues that are preventing students from learning. Although there can be misuse of the funds, a lot of the funds are actually being used to improve the performance.
That's the million-dollar-question here in DC. Some of the worst schools in the nation, and one of the biggest per-student budgets. Teachers unions are the largest culprit in my opinion. Union demands placed on school systems nationwide suck a large portion of the dollars allocated for education right into their coffers. Teachers are simply the enablers. For every pension dollar and union due fee, thats one less dollar to educate little Jimmy. That's my guess. Blame it on the unions and corruption.
"Even so, $646 million is a lot of money. Why didn't it buy Baltimore's children even the most basic education? Why is real reform only now coming to Baltimore, when the schools' problems have been so evident for so long? And how did things get so bad in the first place?"
I dont know what reforms have been put in -- it would have to be by state congressional decree -- since then.
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