The U.S. Economy Needs Fewer Public School Jobs, Not More

[mawilson 2,133]

Because members of the master race are smarter. Didn't you know that?

Ashkenazi Jews?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Where appropriate, sure. Not just a boom in population, but a boom in the appropriate student population. One teacher per 15 gifted kids is identical to one teacher per 20 gifted kids.

One teacher per 15 remedial inner city kids (good luck finding a school with that ratio!) is definitely not the same as one teacher per 20 remedial inner city kids.

yup.

Personally, I like the way Japanese handle their education system. Though Americans wouldn't like it too much I suppose....

[^_^ 5,021]

One teacher per 15 remedial inner city kids (good luck finding a school with that ratio!) ...

My wife teaches elementary age kids at a private school for boys with special needs. The kids are sent there by the public school districts using taxpayer money. The vast majority of the boys are from the inner city. A typical class in that school is 5-6 boys in a classroom with 2 teachers.

Of course, Governor Christie has cut funds and a lot of these public school districts are responding by keeping more of these kids in-district in an "inclusive" environment where they don't get the special attention they'd get at this private facility.

Edited August 24, 2010 by Legacy member

[HAL 9000 96]

My wife teaches elementary age kids at a private school for boys with special needs. The kids are sent there by the public school districts using taxpayer money. The vast majority of the boys are from the inner city. A typical class in that school is 5-6 boys in a classroom with 2 teachers.

Of course, Governor Christie has cut funds and a lot of these public school districts are responding by keeping more of these kids in-district in an "inclusive" environment where they don't get the special attention they'd get at this private facility.

I guess needy populations can be ignored by the logic of some since it doesn't hit close enough to home.

[^_^ 5,021]

I guess needy populations can be ignored by the logic of some since it doesn't hit close enough to home.

They're not being ignored. Their needs are just being catered to less

Like it or not, budgets aren't unlimited and tax revenues are way down.

[HAL 9000 96]

They're not being ignored. Their needs are just being catered to less

Like it or not, budgets aren't unlimited and tax revenues are way down.

Unlike.

Yet true.

We all know at least one of the results of decreased investment in public education in this country: more Republicans in office.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

My wife teaches elementary age kids at a private school for boys with special needs. The kids are sent there by the public school districts using taxpayer money. The vast majority of the boys are from the inner city. A typical class in that school is 5-6 boys in a classroom with 2 teachers.

Of course, Governor Christie has cut funds and a lot of these public school districts are responding by keeping more of these kids in-district in an "inclusive" environment where they don't get the special attention they'd get at this private facility.

You mean they are all jacked up on ritilin?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

Unlike.

Yet true.

We all know at least one of the results of decreased investment in public education in this country: more Republicans in office.

Please.

The problem with education is all we have been doing is throwing money at it instead of adopting good standards.

Of course, I'm more of a fan of "you're an idiot, your job will be to mop Wal-Mart the rest of your life." - "You're a damn genius, you will develop the space program for the next decade."

Not exactly "American" but at least it's 'honest.'

[HAL 9000 96]

Please.

The problem with education is all we have been doing is throwing money at it instead of adopting good standards.

Of course, I'm more of a fan of "you're an idiot, your job will be to mop Wal-Mart the rest of your life." - "You're a damn genius, you will develop the space program for the next decade."

Not exactly "American" but at least it's 'honest.'

When you adopt such a ridiculous posture, nor in line with the way a society develops intelligence, or how educational institutions operate in the society they are in, you remind readers of why having adequately funded public education is just as important as having the standards to hold all parties accountable for their progress.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

When you adopt such a ridiculous posture, nor in line with the way a society develops intelligence, or how educational institutions operate in the society they are in, you remind readers of why having adequately funded public education is just as important as having the standards to hold all parties accountable for their progress.

Why do you always qualify someones response with a negative before you begin your rant?

[Obama 2012 1,714]

When you adopt such a ridiculous posture, nor in line with the way a society develops intelligence, or how educational institutions operate in the society they are in, you remind readers of why having adequately funded public education is just as important as having the standards to hold all parties accountable for their progress.

Not really.

Intelligent children take no benefit from being around lesser children.

Less intelligent children take no benefit, and if anything scrutiny from being around those that are more intelligent.

There needs to be a seperate education structure based on your ability to learn. I'm not just talking 'special ed' either.

I'm talking about equal education as far as you can take it, just at a different pace dependnig on your learning capabilities.

Let's be honest, a lot more middle-school aged children are capable of college level material. They get held back though many times due to the rest of the class/the area they are in.

If we structured the system around learning capability/pace, then we'd be a lot better off.

No limits on how far you can go, just the best place for you to reach a higher education.

[HAL 9000 96]

Why do you always qualify someones response with a negative before you begin your rant?

Homeboy, that thing you call a rant is called context.

And homeboy ain't a negative.

[alienlovechild 75]

If I didn't know that, that puts me into an unstable vortex from which I can't escape...aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Anyone else get the image of MC as the Tidy Bowl Man?

[HAL 9000 96]

Not really.

Intelligent children take no benefit from being around lesser children.

Less intelligent children take no benefit, and if anything scrutiny from being around those that are more intelligent.

There needs to be a seperate education structure based on your ability to learn. I'm not just talking 'special ed' either.

I'm talking about equal education as far as you can take it, just at a different pace dependnig on your learning capabilities.

Let's be honest, a lot more middle-school aged children are capable of college level material. They get held back though many times due to the rest of the class/the area they are in.

If we structured the system around learning capability/pace, then we'd be a lot better off.

No limits on how far you can go, just the best place for you to reach a higher education.

I have no problem with tracking- although I assume you are not nor were a teacher, and hence cannot practically comment on the benefits to the 'smarter kids' of helping those that are 'not so smart' in a classroom setting. The benefits are more than intellectual.

Since they can handle more advanced material at a faster pace, they are placed in additional educational experiences, be it entire classes as it may- as long as those in power don't decide they don't want to fund these things... or be it additional work and tracking to have them achieve their maximum potential.

When I taught, we tracked by cohort, and we also tracked at the individual level. For that you need funding.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Amid Budget Woes, L.A. Unveils Nation's Most Expensive School With $578M Price Tag

LOS ANGELES Next month's opening of the Robert F. Kennedy Community Schools will be auspicious for a reason other than its both storied and infamous history as the former Ambassador Hotel, where the Democratic presidential contender was assassinated in 1968.

With an eye-popping price tag of $578 million, it will mark the inauguration of the nation's most expensive public school ever.

The K-12 complex to house 4,200 students has raised eyebrows across the country as the creme de la creme of "Taj Mahal" schools, $100 million-plus campuses boasting both architectural panache and deluxe amenities.

"There's no more of the old, windowless cinderblock schools of the '70s where kids felt, 'Oh, back to jail,'" said Joe Agron, editor-in-chief of American School & University, a school construction journal. "Districts want a showpiece for the community, a really impressive environment for learning."

Not everyone is similarly enthusiastic.

"New buildings are nice, but when they're run by the same people who've given us a 50 percent dropout rate, they're a big waste of taxpayer money," said Ben Austin, executive director of Parent Revolution who sits on the California Board of Education. "Parents aren't fooled."

At RFK, the features include fine art murals and a marble memorial depicting the complex's namesake, a manicured public park, a state-of-the-art swimming pool and preservation of pieces of the original hotel.

Partly by circumstance and partly by design, the Los Angeles Unified School District has emerged as the mogul of Taj Mahals.

The RFK complex follows on the heels of two other LA schools among the nation's costliest the $377 million Edward R. Roybal Learning Center, which opened in 2008, and the $232 million Visual and Performing Arts High School that debuted in 2009.

The pricey schools have come during a sensitive period for the nation's second-largest school system: Nearly 3,000 teachers have been laid off over the past two years, the academic year and programs have been slashed. The district also faces a $640 million shortfall and some schools persistently rank among the nation's lowest performing.

Los Angeles is not alone, however, in building big. Some of the most expensive schools are found in low-performing districts New York City has a $235 million campus; New Brunswick, N.J., opened a $185 million high school in January.

Nationwide, dozens of schools have surpassed $100 million with amenities including atriums, orchestra-pit auditoriums, food courts, even bamboo nooks. The extravagance has led some to wonder where the line should be drawn and whether more money should be spent on teachers.

"Architects and builders love this stuff, but there's a little bit of a lack of discipline here," said Mary Filardo, executive director of 21st Century School Fund in Washington, D.C., which promotes urban school construction.

Some experts say it's not all flourish and that children learn better in more pleasant surroundings.

Many schools incorporate large windows to let in natural light and install energy-saving equipment, spending more upfront for reduced bills later. Cafeterias are getting fancier, seeking to retain students who venture off campus. Wireless Internet and other high-tech installations have become standard.

Some pricey projects have had political fallout.

After a firestorm over the $197.5 million Newton North High School in Massachusetts, Mayor David Cohen chose not to seek re-election and state Treasurer Timothy Cahill reined in school construction spending.

Now to get state funds for a new school, districts must choose among three designs costing $49 million to $64 million. "We had to bring some sense to this process," Cahill said.

In Los Angeles, officials say the new schools were planned long before the economic pinch and are funded by $20 billion in voter-approved bonds that do not affect the educational budget.

Still, even LA Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines derided some of the extravagance, noting that donations should have been sought to fund the RFK project's talking benches commemorating the site's history.

Connie Rice, member of the district's School Bond Oversight Committee, noted the megaschools are only three of 131 that the district is building to alleviate overcrowding. RFK "is an amazing facility," she said. "Is it a lot of money? Yes. We didn't like it, but they got it done."

Construction costs at LA Unified are the second-highest in the nation something the district blames on skyrocketing material and land prices, rigorous seismic codes and unionized labor.

James Sohn, the district's chief facilities executive, said the megaschools were built when global raw material shortages caused costs to skyrocket to an average of $600 per square foot in 2006 and 2007 triple the price from 2002. Costs have since eased to $350 per square foot.

On top of that, each project had its own cost drivers.

After buildings were demolished at the site of the 2,400-student Roybal school, contaminated soil, a methane gas field and an earthquake fault were discovered. A gas mitigation system cost $17 million.

Over 20 years, the project grew to encompass a dance studio with cushioned maple floors, a modern kitchen with a restaurant-quality pizza oven, a 10-acre park and teacher planning rooms between classrooms.

The 1,700-student arts school was designed as a landmark, with a stainless steel, postmodernistic tower encircled by a rollercoaster-like swirl, while the RFK site involved 15 years of litigation with historic preservationists and Donald Trump, who wanted to build the world's tallest building there. The wrangling cost $9 million.

Methane mitigation cost $33 million and the district paid another $15 million preserving historic features, including a wall of the famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub and turning the Paul Williams-designed coffee shop into a faculty lounge.

Sohn said LA Unified has reached the end of its Taj Mahal building spree. "These are definitely the exceptions," he said. "We don't anticipate schools costing hundreds of millions of dollars in the future."

Edited August 24, 2010 by lostinblue