That was before the NEA was formed and the busy bodies in DC figured they knew more than the states about education and started taking over. Now we have about $9,000-$20,000 per kid, per year being spent "educating" the skulls full of mush and are ranked 21st and 25th in the world in math and science. Good job, Washington.
And what do the parents do, nothing, as their children's brains are destroyed by the beauracrats. The parents are to blame for going along and not in the streets in a rage!!
People already know what the "quality" of "education" their children are getting (or not getting) in public schools. The liberals' response is always that there is not enough money in education budgets and use the poor education to actually increase the spending, taxes and benefits for the "education system".
What needs to be done is for people to find out how much BIG EDUCATION is costing them (whether they have children in school or not), and keep hammering at this message until most people will decide that, as Robert Redford's character Bill McKay said in The Candidate (1972), "there's got to be a better way!" of educating the kids - one that doesn't cost nearly as much money as it does now and one that (with the help of technology and market forces) spends less on teachers and books and "materials" and more on teaching.
Then, you will see progress... Until then, the government will keep transferring your money into their pockets via "education", "environment," "healthcare," "infrastructure," "union works," "your taxpayers money at work" etc. etc.