I read that we are paying about 12K per kid nationally. Seems like it that kind of money went directly to the class, we could cut class sizes in half and a teacher would make a ton more money. Or better yet, leave the class size as is and hire an assistant for each teacher. I am strongly against fund raising for schools. Just feeding the beast...
The problem is the cost of modern school buildings and utilities; salaries and pensions; computers and labs: athletic and band equipment. That has to be covered, too. I'd like to see corporations and prosperous local companies adopt more public schools and give them steady, tax-deductible donations for classroom needs, better maintenance and security, and teacher incentive awards.
I dunno, I pay 11K a year for my older son to go to a private school (can't handle public school) and I dare say that he gets a heck of a lot more attention and one on one instruction.
I paid $9,500 (plus extra for tutoring) at a "4,200 year old earth school" (the high school taught reality, the "leadership" kind of forgot to mention they taught fiction to 8th graders and below during orientation) when my daughter was in 8th grade. The math and science were taught by a 23 year who wrangled cows in Wyoming (after gradulation since he could not get a job) the previous year and went back to wrangling the next year, since he was a total failure at teaching. The English teacher got knocked up and left in February, with subs filling in the last 1/3 of year. The headmaster was a lying SOB. I wish I had taken $9,500, changed it to one dollar bills ,and used that money to wipe my ass , then flushed the soiled bills down the drain. I would have been way better off. The only and I mean only positive thing that happened is that some kid got screamed at unmercifully and then given max demerits for praying, out loud, "to the Baby Jesus" at some function. Not worth $9500, but it took a bit of the edge off.
Chicken dinner right there. Not out here. Those have to be paid for by the student/family. There are some companies who do and have tried and there has been some backlash but I think it's a good idea. Boooo! I could not disagree more. Pay a teacher a salary they deserve, that corresponds to their worth in the public employee chain. Remove pay or bonuses from a teacher's mindset because they become an obstacle between the teacher and the student and they encourage cheating, sand bagging, and all other sorts of unintended consequences.
