Midpack
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
I thought this was an interesting article, but the last paragraph seems to bring the whole article preceding into question?
Sounds like "cuts" once again means reductions in spending increases (but still increases) instead of what most of us think of as cuts - actually spending less than current.
School funding: Public good, public cuts | The Economist
Sounds like "cuts" once again means reductions in spending increases (but still increases) instead of what most of us think of as cuts - actually spending less than current.
School funding: Public good, public cuts | The Economist
- ...many cities and states, struggling to make up budget shortfalls, have put schools on the chopping block.
- Last month a New Jersey judge issued a report declaring that 36% of the state’s schools are inadequately funded, given the obligations laid out in the state constitution.
- Despite these efforts, most states will see at least some cuts, adding up to billions of dollars around the country. These will come from thousands of minor economies, which will be readily apparent when schools reopen in the autumn—among those that do reopen, that is. Classes will be more crowded, school-bus rides longer. Baseball may be cut to keep football going. Latin will be even rarer—and forget about adding Mandarin this year.
- Some schools are now charging fees for certain classes or activities, a startling trend that violates some basic ideas about what public schools are supposed to do.
A broader question is whether money is the best way to improve schools. A 2008 study from the Centre on Reinventing Public Education at the University of Washington found that spending on schools, adjusted for inflation, increased by 29% between 1990 and 2005, without a commensurate gain in pupil achievement. Better strategies may not be more expensive. The cuts may force states to think creatively. That would be some consolation.