I really don't know what to say about the various educational systems over the years. My wife has been a school teacher in Oklahoma since 1976, and we've heard all kinds of plans a promises that turned out to be little more than smoke, mirrors, and magic acts. We don't know where the money goes, but it doesn't appear to be getting down to the classroom level.
As an example, the book budget per teacher for several years here has been $100 per year. This is at the elementary grade levels, and I don't know about other levels. If you've bought any books recently, you should know that $100 doesn't buy much. The facts are that teachers buy much of what they need out of their own pockets or they go without what the children really need. If anyone thinks that the money has gone to large teacher salaries, they would be completely wrong. We'd like to know where all of the money goes. We are quite aware of many very silly circles of paperwork that probably fill bureaucrat's offices, but this really has little or nothing to do with educating children. The working end of education appears to be much less important than the bureaucrats with all of the fancy titles. I will do more than guess that the bureaucrats are also spending money that the teachers really need for basic tools in the classroom. Bluntly, the teachers are not getting what they need. One should easily recognize that the bureaucrats are not the ones charged with the responsibility of educating the children, but they appear to be getting the money.
So what are some of the answers? (1) One answer would be a mandate by the taxpayers that a certain percentage of their tax dollars can only be spent at the classroom level. (2) A full accounting to the public for every dollar would also be very interesting. Tons of folks want to know where the current funds are going and who is benefiting from them. (3)
Either send many of the bureaucrats home or give them a real job of some type. (4) Legislate all of the lawyers and special interest groups OUT THE DOOR. This would have to include massive tort reform and a complete end to silly lawsuits by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, atheists, and other groups who are lining their pockets with taxpayer dollars and wasting the time of people with much more important things to do. Just kick them all out the door, end all of the games, and make it plain that anyone who doesn't like public education is welcome to make other arrangements for their children. In other words, make it plain that 5 to 7 percent of the population will no longer dictate anything done in public schools - period - end of story! (5) Take the Federal Government completely out of public education. The Constitution does not make the Federal Government the master over the states in the area of public education - just the opposite.SOAP BOX MODE OFF.
