Sunday, January 31, 2010

With Priorities Like These, No Wonder Our Schools Suck

Posted by Will Moredock on Sun, Jan 31, 2010 at 1:02 AM

A friend in Summerville brought this story from the Summerville Journal Scene to my attention. According to the "Depressing Report," Dorchester School District Two is seriously in the red and must furlough teachers and administrators as well as increase class sizes and curtail course offerings. Yet the article also states that District Superintendent Joe Pye is pressing for the expedited widening of S.C. 165 near Ashley Ridge High School:

DD2 Superintendent Joe Pye said he’s concerned about the narrow lanes and low shoulder, which could become a problem when Ashley Ridge hosts big football games this fall. More than 10,000 people could travel that road to a game when Summerville and Stratford high schools play there, Pye said.

In case you wondered why education in this state sucks, could there be a better explanation? We would rather cut classes and teachers than raise taxes. We would rather build a road to the football stadium than educate the children in the school building. Read the whole sorry story at http://www.journalscene.com/news/-Depressing-report-

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Or, we could provide vouchers for every family and save the state thousands per student since private schools on average cost much less.

To be exact, South Carolina is spending $11,480 per student in the 2009-2010 school year (that's state, federal, and local spending combined). That's a lot of money. The US Department of Education estimates that private school tuition nationwide averages at $6600. That's nationwide...in SC it's lower.

Underfunded public schools? Hardly. It's just that the boogeyman of religion is too much for some people to bear, and they'd rather let kids suffer in underperforming government schools than for them to succeed in a religious school (especially if they're being taught creationism...gasp!)

So keep griping about how government schools are the way, the truth, and the life...and those government school graduates with their sound evolutionary theories will keep cooking the fries for private school and homeschool grads who hold their Bible club meetings at McDonald's.

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Posted by Jason Usry on January 31, 2010 at 2:59 PM

Jason, your comment has almost nothing to do with the article being written. Your true gripe is the separation of church and state in our schools. Since when does allowing children to be taught in a religious school solve fiscal issues, and since when are children prohibited from attending religious schools?

As for the original article, I agree that the priorities aren't being placed in a perfect order. Joe Pye doesn't control the tax rate though. He doesn't control the fact that a lot of the state's revenue is based on sales tax and a deflating income tax. Joe Pye doesn't want angry alumni that donate money to the schools getting stuck outside their old school's football game due to traffic. A priority? The school board seems to think so. I say if you have issue with a road widening, be sure to go to the public hearing on it this spring...

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Posted by Chad D on January 31, 2010 at 4:11 PM

The reason I wrote my comment was because Will seems to think the only possible solution when there's a budget shortfall in public education is to raise taxes. He doesn't seem to understand that there's a viable alternative to what our government provides for a fraction of the cost, therefore he presents a false dilemma of either 1) tax increases or 2) educational mediocrity.

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Posted by Jason Usry on January 31, 2010 at 5:50 PM

@ Jason, Who keeps the money if the Kid drops out or is removed from a private school with your program? Do private schools loose teachers if kids leave? Where do the kids who are kicked out of these private schools go if they are required by law to be in school? Who pays for those schools?
It isn't just the "separation of church and state" argument for many of those who don't agree with vouchers. Please research your information, instead of relying on your minister and Bauer for the facts.

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Posted by Oi2dWrld on February 1, 2010 at 5:18 AM

And Jason - you need to check your math. You are using some pretty generalized numbers that don't take into consideration many factors. You think my daughter's private school serves lunch? Or has a bus come pick her up? You think the federal portion of that per child cost estimate is going to somehow get included in that voucher? And while I realize the location at issue here is Summerville - I can assure you that $6,600 doesn't get you much after you have completed Kindergarten here in Charleston.

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Posted by BourbonandBranch on February 1, 2010 at 4:26 PM

But the reason there are so few private schools and so few options is because not many families can afford $6600 per year for their child to go to a private school, especially if they have two or more kids.

But if all families suddenly had the option of getting $6600 per child, what incentive would that provide to the private sector to step up and fill the need? I can guarantee we'd see private schools galore with far more efficient operations than what the government provides. Cost per student goes down when a school can enroll more students.

Some private schools serve lunch. The ones I've taught in have all served it...it wasn't free, but then again the schools weren't free either. As for busses, that's another challenge that the private sector could tackle. For the obscene amount we're spending per child in public schools, we could definitely be getting a lot more if we let the private sector run it.

Competition would be a beautiful thing. And btw, the federal government shouldn't even be involved in education.

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Posted by Jason Usry on February 1, 2010 at 5:01 PM

I just did a quick check of private schools in the Charleston area. With the exception of the elite schools like Porter Gaud and Ashley Hall, the schools I surveyed ranged in price from about $4500 to a little over $7000.

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Posted by Jason Usry on February 1, 2010 at 5:27 PM
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