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I think the dollar amounts assigned to students in voucher programs are just as meaningless as the dollar amounts assigned to students in regular ps programs. They mean nothing. Our school district nets something like $6,700 annually for each K-8 student enrolled. The only part of that money that actually touches the kids is the building upkeep and the teacher's pay. My three boys just passed through kindergarten, 3rd and 5th grade. Not one of them had an actual textbook this year--not one. Teachers have one master copy of workbooks (math, language arts, social studies, geography, etc) and they have to photocopy each lesson for every student. Teachers supply the copy paper because the district won't. Teachers have to use a code, just for them, in order to use the copier--their usage is monitored. One copy of every lesson has to be given to the principal, and the number of lessons has to tally the copier usage or the teacher is in hot water. Flabbergasting minutiae. A lot of folks on this forum love to rail against ps teachers, and I'm not saying they walk on water, but the amount of crap many of them have to put up with is just unreal.

As for the $6,700...I'd love to know where it went, because it didn't go into the classroom.

There's crap in every district, but your story is astounding. For starters, how does the principal have time to review each teacher's lessons and copier usage, and again, how can it possibly be cheaper to copy everything than to buy books? (I guess it is because the teachers have to buy the paper?)

As for the $6,700...I'd love to know where it went, because it didn't go into the classroom..

As a teacher, I would be in your debt forever if you, as a parent, got together a group of parents, and took this problem to a public school board meeting and demanded change. This level of micro-managing is wasteful and degrading. It can and will translate into lower scores and lower morale because it is so demeaning.