Comments on: The Real California Budget Problem

By: Shooga

Shooga — Thu, 20 Oct 2005 17:08:34 +0000

Cheese is quite cheesy.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 06:44:27 +0000

I think that you really do not know what you are talking about when you say there is enough money spent on education. I am in a public school and I have recently switched into independent studies because of a few reasons. 1. We did not have enough money to have two trigonometry classes, so there were 38 students in a room with 30 desks. I was one of the kids squished in the back in a chair with no desk. There was not enough time to answer all the students questions or help everyone in our limited time, so many of us were having lower grades than ever seen before on a whole of a class. 2. In my art class i did not have a desk either because they did not have enough money for enough sections. I was sitting against a cupboard on a broken stool with nowhere for my legs. I switched out of that class quite soon after. 3. Last year I organized a huge event that went on in our plaza to raise money so we didn’t have to shut down our school library. We weren’t going to have a library at a school. So, you throw around number here and say your friends have no problems in their schools, well let me tell you, they arent a single percent of California. I could tell you a hell of a lot more people that would say their schools do have a money problem. Our schools need more and more each year. We are getting less and less.

By: Jon

Jon — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Enlightening. I may have to link to this as I usually have nothing of value to say on my site.

By: monique

monique — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

i should know this, since i live here, but we spend 58% on education? where the hell is it going? from my limited exposure to graduates of the california public school system, i’m not overwhelmingly impressed.

i don’t know the numbers, but i wonder how much virginia puts into their system. that’s where i grew up, and they always rank highly regarding public education. i don’t know anything about their debt/taxes/etc, either, so it may not be a fair comparison.

but, damn… 58% of our money goes to CA schools and we’re churning out, um…not the best.

By: Ron Rapp

Ron Rapp — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Re: where does the money go, I’ve been asking that same question for a long time. I believe a lot of it is squandered on administration. The school districts and education departments are administratively top heavy.

Do some research into the salaries of administrators versus the salaries of teachers. Look at the cars school administrators drive.

I believe there’s also a lot of waste and mismanagement.

As far as Virginia is concerned, the FY 2003 state budget is $24.857 billion, and education spending totals $9.435 billion. That makes education spending in Virginia 37.96% of the state’s total budget.

For what it’s worth, that’s still the largest chunk of the state’s budget, but a much smaller percentage than what we spend here in California.

http://www.dpb.state.va.us/budget/02-04/HB1400Summary.htm

By: aunt betty

aunt betty — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

i do believe that there is a lot of waste in education funding. some of those so called administrators should be back in the class rooms or out. bussing should be compensated in part at least, by the families of those who have the advantage of using the buses. those drivers should have other obligations to fill their time between runs. perhaps monitoring in the schools or part of the clean up committee. kids should be in local schools that have been brought up to stndard, instead of bussing them miles away from their homes and continuing to fill up our so called freeways. in times of disaster, at least they would be closer to their homes. additionally there would be time for them to be with their friends. putting some of the money saved on bussing, could be better spent on after school programs that could enhance their education.
here iam on my soap.

By: Ron Rapp

Ron Rapp — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

All good points. Boy, I remember bussing. When I was in fifth grade (1981) I was bussed from Studio City to Dayton Heights, which is one of the worst parts of L.A. The school was like a prison.

By: Mozo Monkey

Mozo Monkey — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I konw that the cal system is screwed becaue im in it. the teacher r morons and all the money we get gos to buy playground equment!!!

P.S. i don’t think virgina turns out the best!

By: HobbsOnline

HobbsOnline — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Rapping Dean
A few weeks ago, one of my regular readers sent an email urging me to check out a new website from the Howard Dean slime factory campaign called BushTax.com, which portrays the Bush administration’s tax policies as a horrible assault…