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sidereal | 3 months ago (raw) | export | reply | flag 
 Man, I don't have kids so I don't really pay attention to this stuff but apparently they're talking about closing 1/3rd of all of the public elementary schools in Seattle? Due to budget problems. In one of the richest cities in the richest country in the world. This is fuckin embarrassing. Like perhaps we could raise some taxes. Rich dudes around here could pay for the entire budget shortfall and not even notice.
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freddms | 3 months ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag 
 Your thinking is flat backwards. The rich are paying for all the schools now. And that's why you are in the situation u r in.

The top few percent pay 50% of all taxes. And they unreasonably influence 'better' districts were their kids attend school at the expense of everyone else.

Your problem is INCREASING taxes increases centralized power and control. This weakens local authority to adapt to change. So you get stagnant, and eventually corrupt districts, as infighting amoung schools grows. Administration gets bigger due to MORE regulations and rules to divide the ever dwindling resources from elimination of innovation through rules/laws. Think - who gets the resources then (yep, those districts that donate the most to political campaigns).

The downward spiral continues until the schools are dysfunctional. The uneducated masses (from these failing schools) call for more taxes and more socialism to 'fix' the problem - not understand it's causing the problem.

Once you privatize ALL education and get Government OUT of the way, you will again drive down cost, and increase quality - like a cell phone. Schools will be incentivized to provide good education at a cheaper cost - well - because that's how you grow!

Based on where we are now, we may need complete failure before a reset. The transition will be very difficult from the point of decay we are in now. We have 5 kids, all started in Montessori school some 30+ years ago. It was bad then, it's far worse today. 4 engineers and a teacher all graduates with zero school debt and all are killing it. We did not comply with public education. I would encourage everyone to work outside the public system - it's going to take generations to fix and fail most students.