A $4 Billion Push for Better Schools

The Washington Post ^ | 24-JUL-09 | Michael D. Shear and Nick Anderson

[TomOnTheRun]

President Obama is leaning hard on the nation's schools, using the promise of more than $4 billion in federal aid -- and the threat of withholding it -- to strong-arm the education establishment to accept more charter schools and performance pay for teachers.

[TomOnTheRun]

It's not much but it does try to get states to allow more charter schools and back out of laws forbidding linking performance to pay for teachers. At this stage in the game I'll take what I can get. Even something this minor is an improvement.

[TomOnTheRun]

But still. 4 BILLION? Can they do nothing for less than a billion dollars?

[Da Coyote]

Oh yea, that’ll work.

Of course, the inproved performance will be measured utilizing lowered standards.

Low standards always, always accompany dim-bulb-crats.

[Pearls Before Swine]

But still. 4 BILLION? Can they do nothing for less than a billion dollars?

I heard they had allocated a mere $18 million for a website.

[TomOnTheRun]

I got actively angry over that one. I’m bothered and upset by a lot of things but I -rarely- get angry about these things. I expect it of government. I’m not a website designer so I’m sure I don’t know enough about this - I don’t know how many hours of database work it took. It probably meant slews and scads of behind the scenes work to reconcile incompatible databases that were never meant to work together. It probably meant buying a gazillion Microsoft licenses at highway robbery prices. It probably meant all sorts of expenses I’m not thinking of. But 18 million for an effing website?! I didn’t become a painter because I wanted to be wealthy but I really really really chose the wrong profession.

[Pearls Before Swine]

There’s web sites and there’s web sites. Some take mere hours to create, some take a lot of work. But, there are many posters actively in that business who say that the amount budget is 10 or 20 times to high for even the most deluxe web presence.

[astyanax]

According to the authors, it was “the nation’s schools” and the “education establishment” that were preventing more charter schools.
Silly me, I always thought it was the democrats!

[MichiganConservative]

You want better schools? Abolish the public schools. Or take your children out of them and don’t let the state mind-rape your kids.

[Elle Bee]

Meanwhile our County school superintendent and his wife have stolen at least $500K from the school and the mentally handicapped and they are out without bail

Click Here:

[TomOnTheRun]

I read some of the stories in the link you posted. What horrible people. And stealing from handicapped children in particular. I hope your local courts do something other than let them wander around free.

It does make me wonder about my own local school and all the money they suck up. I'm not sure how to look into our schools and find out what's going on there. I don't go to school board and PTA meetings because I don't have children. I thought if I showed up I would just be the creepy childless man with a very strong foreign accent and artistic tendencies that wanted to hang around their children. I'm sure you understand why that's not the impression I want to make. *grin*

[RC2]

Throwing more money at it won’t change anything. Have we learned nothing? Holding teachers accountable doesn’t cost a thing. Teachers shouldn’t get any pay increases if their performance is down.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

I call BS.

The President is strong-arming the teachers’ unions???

[TomOnTheRun]

I call BS. The President is strong-arming the teachers’ unions???

I would if I were in his shoes. I have no children and the problem with our schools is obvious even to me when I try to hire people. I have a hard time finding employees that can do basic maths required when buying and selling goods. They also cannot understand invoices. I can only ask myself how they go through 12 years of schooling and not learn these things. My spoken English may be a little broken but even I can read a catalogue and buy various colors of paint.

Clearly something will be done to link pay to performance and to increase charter schools. It can happen with Democratic help or without it. If they cannot stop it happening then I'm sure they would rather it happen on their terms. So the process starts, very slowly and with great expense, while they are in control.

[Elle Bee]

you might find this site interesting

P E Y T O N W O L C O T T The nation's 1st & only daily conservative public education commentary - Solutions, not Fear

.

[Lizavetta]

And THIS time, folks, all this money will really make a difference.

Honest.