Let's make them...

[Ferno]

just a little dumber

yes, they're possibilities, but possibilities that should make you stand up and take real notice.

[Lothar]

Gist shared a few scenarios for next year, emphasizing that they were simply to show the magnitude of the situation.

“These are NOT decisions or even options at this point,” she wrote. “Rather, I’m trying to give you a sense of what it takes to put together a package of reductions that meet what we may have before us.”

In other words, these aren't an actual plan, this is her way of showing that the budget cuts are too deep by showing how ridiculous of a plan would be needed to meet the cuts.

[woodchip]

Well it could be a lot worse...like the Detroit public schools that are billions in debt and faced with shutting down entirely if the state doesn't bail them out. At least Gist has enough brains to know what a budget actually means.

[callmeslick]

Congress seems to feel we have 50 billion dollars to give to Israel for the next year, yet we don't, as a nation, have enough money to prioritize education? That's a freaking disgrace.

[Lothar]

The US spends more on education, per student, than any other country.

Perhaps the problem isn't how much money is being spent on education, but instead how the money is being allocated and spent within the education system, and the emphasis on testing over learning, and the cookie cutter approach, and... I could talk about this all day. Money being spent on other things is a red herring.

[callmeslick]

The US spends more on education, per student, than any other country.

Perhaps the problem isn't how much money is being spent on education, but instead how the money is being allocated and spent within the education system, and the emphasis on testing over learning, and the cookie cutter approach, and... I could talk about this all day. Money being spent on other things is a red herring.

you are correct insofar as money isn't the be-all and end-all, but in cases like this, money is the ONLY issue(when you can't afford 5 day weeks or to fix the classrooms or buy books). So, no, money spent on other things is NOT a red herring, it is a valid consideration. Figuring out how we got to this point overall and working at efficiencies and such are very valid things to focus on down the road, but not in a situation of dire financial shortfall.

[Spidey]

Those sound like the kinds of threats the government makes here in Philadelphia when it’s time to go to the taxpayers once again.

[callmeslick]

Those sound like the kinds of threats the government makes here in Philadelphia when it’s time to go to the taxpayers once again.

you all got screwed over good by the rush to charter schools. They are costing the taxpayers a boatload of cash that could have WAY more efficiently been used for addressing issues in the public schools. Further, the state took away both money and control of your public system, sending money to politicians instead of education, and overlooking the fact that money spent on education in Philly affects quality of life in and outside the city.

by the way, similar attempts were made, with limited success, down here in Delaware, but the state kept demanding strict accounting of both money and outcomes, which is leading to quite a few Charter closures. We just spend a lot of money on transportation due to a decision decades back to put all the schools in the suburbs and none in the center city, and transport everyone out to those.

[Foil]

...how the money is being allocated...

THIS.

The article about how bad the budget is in Tulsa fits with my experience as a teacher in Oklahoma: 50-year-old classrooms literally falling apart and the inability to even get enough books or even paper for my students.

Contrast that with my second-grader (who goes to school in one of the wealthiest counties in the nation), who gets top-notch teachers in new facilities plus a new iPad and a new Chromebook and a classroom full of cool educational stuff.

...the emphasis on testing over learning...

Hear, hear.

...the rush to charter schools...

Absolutely. The data is now coming in on charter schools, and they're turning out no better (and sometimes much much worse, particularly when they are run by religious groups) than traditional schools.

There are lots of good ideas out there about avoiding cookie-cutter-classrooms, but the charter school movement is proving itself as the wrong solution.

[Lothar]

Perhaps the problem isn't how much money is being spent on education, but instead how the money is being allocated and spent within the education system

in cases like this, money is the ONLY issue .... money spent on other things is NOT a red herring

in cases like this, the way money is being allocated is the issue. Why is Tulsa facing a drop in their budget? Can they weather the drop? Are they spending the money they already have wisely? It has nothing to do with federal money going to Israel, which has been happening for a long time. Nor with federal money going to food stamps/EBT, social security, or fighter jets. Those things are red herrings.

It has a lot to do with the state of Oklahoma collecting considerably less revenue (due to oil and gas downturns) and therefore cutting the state education budget, which happens to hit Tulsa particularly hard -- $2.1 million dollars are being cut from the current school year budget, and $7-20 million from next year. A little perspective -- their budget is $544 million for this school year. It's not like we're talking about a 20% budget cut that you might infer from a suggestion of "4 day school week"; it's 1.5% to 4%. That's still a legitimate cut that shouldn't be taken lightly, but methinks these suggestions aren't the most serious attempt to solve the problem; it's an intentional grab for attention to try to pressure the state or local government into increasing the budget.

I don't have any deeper insight into the specifics of Tulsa. Their cost of living is fairly low, but perhaps their students face unique challenges that require more spending per student ($13,600 now; $13,100 if the maximum cut happens) than Denver ($10,122 per student), LA ($10,350), most of the rest of the country ($11,000 average), Denmark, Germany, Norway, etc. OK, OK, I admit I'm getting a little snarky here. It just bothers me to see obviously-BS attention-grabbing proposals and then to realize that the district in question is nowhere close to the dire straits that the proposals imply. It's like your friend whining about how they're going to have to cut back drastically and make unbearable sacrifices because work isn't going to pay out a bonus this year, but your friend still makes more money than you.

Maybe Tulsa actually does need that budget. If their schools are falling apart and they're investing a ton of capital in building new schools, then by all means, spend above the national average! But that's also a case that needs to be made to the local taxpayers honestly. I get a really dishonest vibe off of the 4-day school week proposal.

[woodchip]

The US spends more on education, per student, than any other country.

Perhaps the problem isn't how much money is being spent on education, but instead how the money is being allocated and spent within the education system, and the emphasis on testing over learning, and the cookie cutter approach, and... I could talk about this all day. Money being spent on other things is a red herring.

you are correct insofar as money isn't the be-all and end-all, but in cases like this, money is the ONLY issue(when you can't afford 5 day weeks or to fix the classrooms or buy books). So, no, money spent on other things is NOT a red herring, it is a valid consideration. Figuring out how we got to this point overall and working at efficiencies and such are very valid things to focus on down the road, but not in a situation of dire financial shortfall.

So when the school district spends its money poorly ( in Detroits case, the superintendent seemed to think he needed to be driven around in a chauffeur driven limousine as one example) winds up in receivership and then expects the states taxpayers to bail them out is something no one likes. Maybe it is time to just close the doors on the old system and start a new district...with caveats like operating in your means and budget as a priority.

[callmeslick]

Maybe it is time to just close the doors on the old system and start a new district...with caveats like operating in your means and budget as a priority.

I have no problem with that, so long as the resources go to the kids, along with decent(not necessarily showpieces, but functional)buildings, and a safe environment to learn. If those are in place, I don't care who does the planning and budgeting, but in the case of a system the size of Detroit, allowed to fester for decades, it's going to cost money. Further, if the money doesn't go up front to get this generation educated, the costs to our society down the road are by comparison massive.