[nmh]

“Fixing up public schools so they are outwardly appealing has more to do with maintaining property values than anything else.”

Oh, if were only true

that OUTWARD APPEARANCES really mattered!

The money needs to be spent on EDUCATING not outward appearances and that applies to Newark type areas as well as economically advantaged areas!

[durasell]

Outward appearance of public structures matters to people who want to maintain the value of their homes. Granted, it has nothing to do with education — just local politics.