[Pedantic_Lady]

Perhaps I was amazingly lucky, but I went to a public high school in Texas that didn't really have trouble with equipment; sure, we didn't have an indoor pool or clay tennis court like a nearby wealthy private school, but what the hell did we need with things like that, anyway?

Kids from my high school consistently outperformed their private school peers on standardized tests. Perfect scores on the math or verbal sections of the SAT occurred every single year I was a student there, though there's only been one student in the last 20 years to score perfect 800s on BOTH sections. Most private schools can't point to that many successes.

I was able to enter college as a sophomore because of all the college-level courses available at my high school: biology, art history, European history, psychology, advanced French and Spanish, advanced chemistry, physiology and anatomy, trigonometry, calculus, and calculus-based statistics.

That's a public school. Free. It was a bargain, and when I have children I hope to be lucky enough to live near such a quality institution.

[BushCountry]

Public schools are hit and miss, some good and some bad. As much as I hate to admit it, they are improving contary to what most believe.

However, that does not mean that are not extremly wasteful, corrupt, unnecessarily burden their teachers, underpay their teachers, create reams of nonsense paperwork, are heavily overstaff administratively, don't understand or effectively use technology, and the list goes on and on...

They are succeeding inspite of tremendous obstacles.

[cajungirl]

I had the same experience,,it would be nice if that could continue but in many areas in this country the public schools are all but destroyed.

[KC_for_Freedom]

Perhaps I was amazingly lucky

A winner credits his/her "good" luck for stories like yours, but we all know it wasn't due to luck at all. Likewise, a loser blames "bad" luck for their failures and again it isn't really luck. Congratulations on your acheivements. (Of course the school did part of it, by providing inspirational teachers.) but most of the credit is due the student who does the hard work day in and day out.

You don't say, but were the majority of teachers in your school liberals with left leaning ideologies? Were you taught that corporations are to blame for the degradation of the environment? That income tax is fair and sales tax comes down hardest on those least able to pay? In other words, were you taught to be a good socialist as part of your public school education? (I was educated in California where the answer to all my questions was yes)

As a former teacher in California while living in Austin I looked into teaching there. With ten years senority I was offered a salary of $24 K in 1989. There were some school districts in better neighborhoods who paid better. (Eanes in Austin)

[Temple Owl]

"Perhaps I was amazingly lucky, but I went to a public high school in Texas that didn't really have trouble with equipment; sure, we didn't have an indoor pool or clay tennis court like a nearby wealthy private school, but what the hell did we need with things like that, anyway?

They don't, yet in Delaware County (Philly subs) a number of public high schools have them. They are very expensive and it shows up in the tax bill. The teachers make up to $80,000 --not counting benefits. This is for about 190 days work. Some of the schools are very good while others are very substandard.

School vouchers would even out the playing field.