Category: Politics, General

Rationing School Costs

~ Laura ~ 36 Comments

(I need to dash out of the house. I've been in denial about Christmas for too long and I really need to buy some gifts, but before I brave the highways and the malls, I want to point you to an excellent article by Andrew Rotherham in Time Magazine.)

Rotherham writes that it is time to sensibly examine and reign in the costs of education.

In 1970 America spent about $228 billion in today's dollars on public schools. In 2007 that figure was $583 billion. True, some of the increase can be traced back to growing enrollments, better programs, and improved services for special-education and other students, but much of the increase is just a lot of spending without a lot to show for it. And given all the various pressures on state budgets (including our aging population, health care costs and the substantial obligations states and school districts owe for pensions and benefits), the golden age of school spending is likely coming to an end.
Rotherham remains on my good side by saying that the answer isn't to cut back on special education. He writes that that we need a clear accounting of education spending. Many budgets don't include teachers salaries (the largest expenditure of any budget) or the cost of maintaining the building. All that needs to be on the same spreadsheet.

He says that we should examine where resources are going and spend wisely. For example, small class size is appropriate for at-risk kids in the lower grades, but might not be appropriate in other situations. Perhaps we should do more with online learning. I would have liked to see other suggestions.

The biggest issue is why education funding is so poorly managed. It's because education is largely a state and local matter. Arne Duncan really has no control over what my school district spends money on. There isn't anyone overseeing expenditures in local towns. School boards spend money and release complicated and misleading budgets, which parents and other taxpayers can't understand. Parents and even school leaders have very poor understanding of what education programs work and what don't.

On Tuesday, I had a very frustrating conversation with school and parent leaders this week about how money would be better spent on writing workshops, rather than on more money for technology for the classroom, when we already have tons of computers and smart boards that are gathering dust in the back of the classroom. FYI, when someone tells you that they "love your passion," they are really saying that they think you are crazy.

We need leadership on education. Someone to provide guidance to local schools about spending priorities and smart education policy. They are overwhelmed, misinformed, and confused.