$227 Million Doesn't Buy What It Used To

Something of a rant here, but any high school student (the people for whom this site is engineered) will instantly recognize what is going on.  Especially students from in the schools on the wrong side of the tracks, the bad part of town.

Our school budget passed the last week.  When I started, the school budget was out of control - topping out at around $160 million.  People where aghast at that figure.  That was 12 years ago.  Now the budget is $227 million dollars. This is for a school district with a poor academic record, crumbling infrastructure and, in my case, a repair - free zone.

I go into more detail in the podcast, but I have had no heat, no air conditioning, a broken smart-board (since early March), missing blinds and a bell that barely makes any noise.  Where there once was a clock is an unsightly hole, and rickety chairs and profanity laden desks populate the room.

Naturally, criticizing public education gets you yelled at - the ad hominem attacks come quickly at rapid fire pace, but you should expect that by now.  The Gov't schools are 'good', and their defenders vouch for them, facts be damned.  Naturally these are the same people who have the perfect fix for the schools: more money.  The irony is off the charts, but it allows them to participate in that most comfortable activity, hand wringing.