Tuesday’s excellent Kansan article on the school board’s 6-1 decision to sue the people of Kansas for more money in lean times is simply shocking.
It sounds like the majority of the board and the superintendent believe: 1) “Kansans are to blame for not paying more taxes at the very time when they have less money to do so,” and 2) “It’s OK to wipe out everybody else’s state-supported budget, but don’t ask us to tighten our belts any more. We won’t, and we don’t have to.” Everyone’s hurting right now. It’s tough!
Why does the school district always think it should get a pass on the hard times all the rest of us can’t get a pass on?
This letter is not a slam against individuals or the schools or the teachers.
This is simply trying to say, there is another perspective on the challenges we face with public education in our communities. I have children in Newton public schools, so I care about these issues. But, a critical question is: Is “more money” really the answer?
Jay Gibbons, author of “Education Myths,” rightly observed, “If money were the solution, the problem would be solved … We doubled per pupil spending, adjusting for inflation, over the last 30 years, and yet schools aren’t better.”
Stats the Kansan could run: USD 373 budget over time; cost per student in USD 373, with state and national averages over time; student enrollment at USD 373 over time.
We already spend thousands of dollars more per public school student than even other “poor” countries like Poland — and we still fall short in apples-to-apples comparisons where education really counts.
School boards and administrators always say, “It’s for the kids” and “It will help economic development.”
We all agree we want our kids to be properly educated, and we want strong economic development, but how long can you promise that “more money” will be the answer and have people continue to believe it?
If you want to take an “educational” look at public education, check out www.youtube.com and search: Stupid in America 20/20.
— Timothy Conner, Newton
