You don’t always get what you pay for. You might realize an impressive bargain in terms of quantity or durability by spending a little more, or do well enough spending less, but cutting corners can wind up wasting money. There’s a sweet spot to prudent economy, but one sure way to pay more than necessary (and be disappointed anyway) is to assume that cost doesn’t matter.
At both recent meetings where the school board discussed closing an elementary school, different parents said that money does not matter — or should not — when it comes to “educating” their children. Some of those parents drew $12,000 or more in “tax credits” last year, simply for having four children. It’s almost understandable that money might matter less to a family receiving enough federal handouts to cover the taxes on two average Conway homes.
If private business ran the way the school do, several things would happen:
1) You'd lose customers due to poor performance and lack of service.
2) You'd be sued by any of your contracted customers due to breach of contract.
3) You'd never get a business loan as a poor risk.
4) You'd go out of business in short order or claim bankruptcy.
If you were a publicly held corporation:
1) The top-tier officers would be "invited to resign".
2) The stock would be devalued.
3) There would be a complete restructuring of the organization and the budget.
4) Or the corporation would be dissolved.
And yet public schools keep sucking up our tax dollars as performance continues spiraling downward and budgets keep exploding upward.
BTW, over 50% of your property taxes go to the local school. Approximately 30% goes to the Town, and the rest goes to the State [with a portion of that going to schools].
Comparing public schools ("the school do"?) to private business or a corporation is a limited and warped metaphor. Certainly school districts should be fiscally responsible and held to academic standards but the school as a business metaphor falls apart pretty quickly upon honest examination.
I don't see that much of a difference when it comes to fiscal responsibility, measurable goals & outcomes, and customer satisfaction.
The only difference is a P&L statement.
If anything, Public Schools need to be held to an even higher standard as a matter of The Public Trust.
I am always intrigued by those [usually teachers] that say you can't measure the results of education. Or, my favorite; Everyone is different and we have to deal with them as individuals with individual needs.
Public Schools are failing and test scores are dropping. That is undeniable.
Maybe social/emotional issues taking priority over academics is the problem.
I remember, not too long ago, STEM was "The Thing". Now it's all about Self-Actualization, Inclusion, Safe Spaces, and Activism.
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If private business ran the way the school do, several things would happen:
1) You'd lose customers due to poor performance and lack of service.
2) You'd be sued by any of your contracted customers due to breach of contract.
3) You'd never get a business loan as a poor risk.
4) You'd go out of business in short order or claim bankruptcy.
If you were a publicly held corporation:
1) The top-tier officers would be "invited to resign".
2) The stock would be devalued.
3) There would be a complete restructuring of the organization and the budget.
4) Or the corporation would be dissolved.
And yet public schools keep sucking up our tax dollars as performance continues spiraling downward and budgets keep exploding upward.
BTW, over 50% of your property taxes go to the local school. Approximately 30% goes to the Town, and the rest goes to the State [with a portion of that going to schools].
Comparing public schools ("the school do"?) to private business or a corporation is a limited and warped metaphor. Certainly school districts should be fiscally responsible and held to academic standards but the school as a business metaphor falls apart pretty quickly upon honest examination.
I don't see that much of a difference when it comes to fiscal responsibility, measurable goals & outcomes, and customer satisfaction.
The only difference is a P&L statement.
If anything, Public Schools need to be held to an even higher standard as a matter of The Public Trust.
I am always intrigued by those [usually teachers] that say you can't measure the results of education. Or, my favorite; Everyone is different and we have to deal with them as individuals with individual needs.
Public Schools are failing and test scores are dropping. That is undeniable.
Maybe social/emotional issues taking priority over academics is the problem.
I remember, not too long ago, STEM was "The Thing". Now it's all about Self-Actualization, Inclusion, Safe Spaces, and Activism.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.