Schoolyard blues

I guess the one word which is never taught in government schools these days is value. The term which is taught is status quo. And oh my - do we ever have status quo in education!         

What the what (or, what the fraud) is going in with Minnesota schools these days? I mean, school districts bellyaching about not having enough money, is as common as thunderstorms in the spring. Just the other day, the largest school district in Minnesota (Anoka Hennepin), confessed they are in deep "dodo" for money going forward, so they need to cut scores of school counselors and social workers. That was enough to set off the caterwauling from the chattering class. "You can't cut positions such as those! These kids have been traumatized by ICE and Trump!"

But wait! That might be a good idea these days. Minneapolis also confessed they have misspent their budgets this year and are now also considering cutting social workers and counselors. That was enough to energize the chattering class in Minneapolis. "We need more money, not staff cuts!" Boy is that song ever getting old. People who are paying attention have already figured out the math - more money equals worse test scores.

I have addressed this issue before. Cristo Rey, a private Catholic school in the center of Minneapolis, spends a fraction of what the City of Minneapolis spends per pupil. And yet, the graduating stats for kids coming out of Minneapolis are stunning. The kids who go there, are cut from the center of the demographics. No cherry picking - just normal kids. Money is spent wisely at Cristo Rey, and the results are simply amazing.

In the heart of Coon Rapids, is a private Christian school called Legacy Academy. It is expensive to send a kid there. But the results, are once again - incredible. A Legacy graduate comes out with a very strong moral compass as well as a top shelf education. All for about a thousand dollars less a year than it costs to educate a kid in the Anoka Hennepin school district. I could go on and on, but I think my point has been made. More money for government schools does not mean spit. Much of it is just a waste of resources and time.

What is an immutable fact of life? School districts begging for more money this time of year. Why is that? Cultural for starters. The old myth that more money equals better results. It does not. Most of our school districts are being run by morons. The Department of Education(s), federal and state, are stocked with statists and idiots. Who suffers? The kids and the taxpayers. 

I guess the one word which is never taught in government schools these days is value. The term which is taught is status quo. And oh my - do we ever have status quo in education!