I've always felt the problem isn't what we spend on education. It's what we get for our money. Good teachers should get good pay. Bad teachers should get bounced. Unfortunately, it's difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. There are things going on in schools that shouldn't be happening, too many just going through the motions to collect a pay check. It would help if the kids were motivated. Most of that begins at home. If you run in to an unmotivated student, chances are an unmotivated parent isn't far away.
Governor Rendell hammered away at waste and inefficiency a couple years ago. He thought the state has too many school districts. The system is broken. Rendell had a point. His plan was DOA.
There's another issue. It looks like there will be budget cutbacks at the federal level. The states will have to pick up the slack. The cupboard on the state level is bare, so many costs will be bounced down to the local level. The bottom line is you're going to pay. The only differences are the pockets the money comes from, and what level of government gets it.
We could steer clear of troubled financial waters if there was some accountability, if government officials actually had to answer for mismanagement.
Is expecting to get something for your tax dollars too much to ask?
