counter earth

[steve dave]

[Goldbrick]

There is a whole lot more than a guy in a group that wants to harm us. And wants to harm others. The reason many other nations around the world don't have anywhere near the defense budget that we do is because they are relying on us to help them in times of need. Someone needs to carry the big stick. Apparently, thats us.

And throwing money at education has been shown not to have much of a desired effect. Nor does trying to harness the latest teaching fad we stole from foreign countries. The issue is deadbeat teachers and deadbeat parents. Saluting teachers requires they earn it first:

About three-quarters of the 17,500 freshmen at the community colleges this year have needed remedial instruction in reading, writing or math, and nearly a quarter of the freshmen have required such instruction in all three subjects. In the past five years, a subset of students deemed “triple low remedial” — with the most severe deficits in all three subjects — has doubled, to 1,000. The reasons are familiar but were reinforced last month by startling statistics from state education officials: fewer than half of all New York State students who graduated from high school in 2009 were prepared for college or careers, as measured by state Regents tests in English and math. In New York City, the proportion was 23 percent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/04/nyregion/04remedial.html?_r=1&hpw=&pagewanted=all

And parents treat school like a glorified day-care.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

Spending per pupil continues to rise every year and graduation rates continue to decline.

Look at District of Columbia spending, nearly $20,000 per pupil, k-12, and they have a less than 50% graduation rate. It's a bottomless hole that will not get better until the Dept of Education is abolished and control is given back to the local governments. Very sad.

[CNS]

Spending per pupil continues to rise every year and graduation rates continue to decline.

Look at District of Columbia spending, nearly $20,000 per pupil, k-12, and they have a less than 50% graduation rate. It's a bottomless hole that will not get better until the Dept of Education is abolished and control is given back to the local governments. Very sad.

As of two budget years ago in KS, this is wrong.  My wife's school was at $14.4M two years ago, is now at 11.3M, and has to cut another $450k from this year's budget with over half the year completed already, and cut another $600k or so next school year. 

Pretty drastic decline in budget.

"Control given back to local govt" means that many folks property taxes will skyrocket and many folks will get a very substandard ed compared to others. 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Spending per pupil continues to rise every year and graduation rates continue to decline.

Look at District of Columbia spending, nearly $20,000 per pupil, k-12, and they have a less than 50% graduation rate. It's a bottomless hole that will not get better until the Dept of Education is abolished and control is given back to the local governments. Very sad.

As of two budget years ago in KS, this is wrong.  My wife's school was at $14.4M two years ago, is now at 11.3M, and has to cut another $450k from this year's budget with over half the year completed already, and cut another $600k or so next school year. 

Pretty drastic decline in budget.

"Control given back to local govt" means that many folks property taxes will skyrocket and many folks will get a very substandard ed compared to others. 

Did her school district construct a new building in the 2-3 years prior to that $14.4 mil?

[CNS]

Spending per pupil continues to rise every year and graduation rates continue to decline.

Look at District of Columbia spending, nearly $20,000 per pupil, k-12, and they have a less than 50% graduation rate. It's a bottomless hole that will not get better until the Dept of Education is abolished and control is given back to the local governments. Very sad.

As of two budget years ago in KS, this is wrong.  My wife's school was at $14.4M two years ago, is now at 11.3M, and has to cut another $450k from this year's budget with over half the year completed already, and cut another $600k or so next school year. 

Pretty drastic decline in budget.

"Control given back to local govt" means that many folks property taxes will skyrocket and many folks will get a very substandard ed compared to others. 

Did her school district construct a new building in the 2-3 years prior to that $14.4 mil?

No

[felix rex]

Not funny at all, dude. 

[Dirty Sanchez]

Spending per pupil continues to rise every year and graduation rates continue to decline.

Look at District of Columbia spending, nearly $20,000 per pupil, k-12, and they have a less than 50% graduation rate. It's a bottomless hole that will not get better until the Dept of Education is abolished and control is given back to the local governments. Very sad.

As of two budget years ago in KS, this is wrong.  My wife's school was at $14.4M two years ago, is now at 11.3M, and has to cut another $450k from this year's budget with over half the year completed already, and cut another $600k or so next school year. 

Pretty drastic decline in budget.

"Control given back to local govt" means that many folks property taxes will skyrocket and many folks will get a very substandard ed compared to others. 

Did her school district construct a new building in the 2-3 years prior to that $14.4 mil?

No

Just wondering.  Kansas has a thing where your district gets funding at a rate 1.5X normal per student for a couple of years after building a school ostensibly to help fund upgrades to facilities.  My wife's district has that going on this year.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

Spending per pupil continues to rise every year and graduation rates continue to decline.

Look at District of Columbia spending, nearly $20,000 per pupil, k-12, and they have a less than 50% graduation rate. It's a bottomless hole that will not get better until the Dept of Education is abolished and control is given back to the local governments. Very sad.

As of two budget years ago in KS, this is wrong.  My wife's school was at $14.4M two years ago, is now at 11.3M, and has to cut another $450k from this year's budget with over half the year completed already, and cut another $600k or so next school year. 

Pretty drastic decline in budget.

"Control given back to local govt" means that many folks property taxes will skyrocket and many folks will get a very substandard ed compared to others. 

So I am guessing that property taxes prior to 1980 were out of control?

[CNS]

Up until the last couple years, allotment per student did rise a lot and often.  Even with current cuts, levels are quite a bit above '80 levels.  Changing now would put the burden of that increase in cost on prop tax or some other type of tax.  Either that, or funding would drop to '80 levels and cause chaos.  Just don't think it is an adequate comparo without a long term plan/transition.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

Up until the last couple years, allotment per student did rise a lot and often.  Even with current cuts, levels are quite a bit above '80 levels.  Changing now would put the burden of that increase in cost on prop tax or some other type of tax.  Either that, or funding would drop to '80 levels and cause chaos.  Just don't think it is an adequate comparo without a long term plan/transition.

I'm pretty sure there would be a long term plan/transition to eliminate a $50 billion bureaucracy. It won't be done by the current admin so it will probably be done right if it were to happen.

[CNS]

all of a sudden you have faith in government to handle something correctly.  neither party has dealt with ed well in a long time.  where does this new found faith in government come from?  seems like false hope.

[john "teach me how to" dougie]

all of a sudden you have faith in government to handle something correctly.  neither party has dealt with ed well in a long time.  where does this new found faith in government come from?  seems like false hope.

probly right 

[OK_Cat]

stevedave just reelin' em in again.  bitb

[Rage Against the McKee]

There is a whole lot more than a guy in a group that wants to harm us. And wants to harm others. The reason many other nations around the world don't have anywhere near the defense budget that we do is because they are relying on us to help them in times of need. Someone needs to carry the big stick. Apparently, thats us.

We spend more on our military than the rest of the world combined. We could spend much, much less and still be just as safe. We also wouldn't be involved in wars that we have no business being in. Seriously, what will the United States have gained from winning the war in Iraq?

[SuperG]

As long as the poverty rate continues to rise the graduation rate will continue to decrease.

[CNS]

There is a whole lot more than a guy in a group that wants to harm us. And wants to harm others. The reason many other nations around the world don't have anywhere near the defense budget that we do is because they are relying on us to help them in times of need. Someone needs to carry the big stick. Apparently, thats us.

We spend more on our military than the rest of the world combined. We could spend much, much less and still be just as safe. We also wouldn't be involved in wars that we have no business being in. Seriously, what will the United States have gained from winning the war in Iraq?

Thing is, no politician will survive in our newly paranoid/scared world once they are known as the guy who cut defense funding.