What kind of education could you give 30 elementry students with $300,000 USD?

Question

The US government spends about 10k per student per year. Teachers are still crying about money while studies show a very low correlation between money spent and education recieved.

With $300K couldn't you lease a building, buy textbooks, computers, lunch, insurance, and all kinds of things AND have money left over at the end of the day for a profit???

So where does all the money go???

Wouldn't it make sense to allow the private sector to profit from education if they can do it just as well or better?

I'm saying if YOU as a teacher were given $300,000 for 1 school year, but had to provide EVERYTHING. Don't you think you could provide a great education and get paid more than 30K per year???

My point is that 10K per student IS being spent, but not where it helps and not where it's needed. Administrators make too much, district buildings are posh, unions make the system inefficient.

Answer 1

You're absolutely right. I don't think education and money has as direct a correlation as people are often led to believe. I am given $100 a year by the PTO to spend on school supplies of my choice. I am also given $100 by the school to spend on school supplies from the warehouse. While I use every bit of it and put it all to good use, I'm constantly finding myself spending my own money on things for the classroom. Money is being spent on programs for entire schools to adopt that aren't always best for every classroom. I'd rather get my own share of that money and spend it on quality children's literature. Last year my school district paid someone we lovingly refer to as the "Energy Nazi" or "Prince of Darkness." He's paid to go around the schools and assess our use of energy and help us find ways to reduce energy waste (like unplugging things when not in use). He makes us turn off the lights in hallways and everything. Anyway, our school really did save thousands of dollars on energy last year. What did we get to spend the money we saved on? Surveilance cameras. In an elementary school. We were given a list of bad choices and picked the best one.
I guess my point is, it's not so much the amount of money we're given- it's how we're told we can spend it.

Whoever talked about Kleenex is spot on. At one point last year, we went through a box a day. I always ask parents for Kleenex, hand sanitizer, & plastic baggies at the beginning of the year. That doesn't come out of the 10k per kid, apparently. I think you might be misunderstanding what that 10k actually means.

Anytime the government is involved in a program, it suffers. I like your idea of private sectors, but with that comes a whole other bag full of beauracracy.

Answer 2

As a teacher I can tell you that 10K per student is only on paper. My district does not even provide kleenex for the students. Small thing to think about, but with a class of 30 students in close proxsymitry, the odds of a simple cold being spread around is very high. Now, you figure it up....7-8 classes a day w/ 30 students in each.............kleenex flies. Parents don't know...so don't send. This kind of stuff comes out of a teacher's pocket along with teaching materials, (since books are not used too much anymore due to cost factors). Oh, don't get me started on this subject...................................

Answer 3

Hibby, I couldnt email you back because it said your email had not been confirmed. Here is my response to your email.

What are you not understanding?

The question asked was 'What would happen if the U.S. discovered a way to launch nukes without people knowing it was us?'

My answer spoke the truth but I didn't think I had to elaborate... assuming most intelligent persons would understand.

Here is what I meant in more detail:
In the event of that occurence and if the USA discovered that ability while the republican party was still in control of all 3 branches, that I believe they would most certainly nuke all non-allies. Specifically, destroying all non-christian nations and non-democracies.

I don't understand why you are surprised at my answer considering everyday on YAHOO answers you see republicans talk stating 'just nuke' etc... You know as well as I that those republicans feel that it is a war against us and all Islamic nations. I truly believe that if given the option they would prefer to just nuke them and be done with it.

Answer 4

Have you been in a classroom with 30 students? Go observe a few classrooms for a week and let us know if 10 grand a year is REALLY being spent on students.

Answer 5

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Answer 6

With a little help from the Nevada gaming board, I could teach them craps, black jack, and how to score free drinks.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

As a teacher, if you gave me $10,000 per year per regular ed student, to both cover my living costs AND their education.... possible but only for regular students. I'd have to turn away learners with differences (special needs, second language learners, etc.).

Catholic private schools (the "inexpensive" kind), charge about $2500 per semester ($5000 per year), and offset the rest of their costs through massive fundraising for donations. Keep in mind that the public schools provide the specialized support for any students with disabilities in private schools... still at the taxpayer expense.

Most other "lower cost" private schools, for "average" students, charge over $12,000 per student (and often have fundraisers on top of that).

Private schools focusing on students with special needs run about $45,000 or higher PER student.

I researched private schools that would work with my son, (normal smarts, but severe learning disability, OCD, hallucinations controlled by meds effectively)... and those schools run $60,000 - $85,000 tuition per year per student in order to accept him and guarantee results. His public school teachers are doing wonderfully (going into 7th grade, he now reads at 5th grade level), and he is in a classroom containing 12 students with 2 adults (a 6:1 ratio). The cost to our state per year for his education? $14,000.

As a teacher, parent, AND TAXPAYER, do I mind that some kids need more specialized attention than others.... including before I knew exactly how involved my young man was? NO. Because this extra cost ensures that these kids are less likely to be institutionalized as adults... at a lifelong cost of how much?

As far as where all that money goes...

State testing takes a hefty bite out of education budgets. THAT'S where a whole lot of the money goes... when all it would take is increasing passing grades from 60% mastery to 80% mastery (earn a B rather than a D to pass), portfolios of the regular unit tests teacher give their students anyway, showing student attainment of state standards and benchmarks, and a small but dedicated group of state portfolio auditors who compare the portfolios to the report cards. Reduce class sizes, ensure a textbook and workbook in every subject for every student (like we hand when we were kids), and the education of our children would be fine.

http://www.nsba.org/site/doc_sbn.asp?TRACKID=&DID=11782&CID=1063

Starting salary for a new teacher with a 4-year college education is $29,500... compared to starting salaries for most other professions requiring a 4-year college degree, that range from $35,000 to $55,000 per year (including nursing, technology, etc.). After 20 years of service, most teachers are only making about $45,000, with a graduate degree... when most comparable professions are making between $55,000 and $100,000 per year.

What level of education do YOU have? And how much do you make each year for it? Would you be willing to put your money where your mouth is, get a teaching degree, and get out to show us all how it's done? TEACHERS aren't the ones mis-spending the state's money. Quit pointing at them.

Most states spend about $5000 to $12,000 per student per year, INCLUDING what they receive from Federal funds. Compare that to the following statistic, before you start getting on your high horse about spending on children...

Federal government spends $25,000 per year per prison inmate in 2003: http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/budgetsummary/btd/1975_2002/2002/html/page117-119.htm

How much does the Federal government spend on the military?

How much does the Federal government spend on administrative costs across all the Federal programs?


On the other hand, here's what schools manage:

High end budget example (MOST of this is from state and local property taxes, NOT the Feds), rich district -- this district has the $12,000 per year to spend on students, and it shows... check out the stats on student achievement at the bottom of the page:
http://www.fcps.edu/about/stats.htm

On the other hand, here's Washington DC, spending about $5000 - 6000 per student... and we all are familiar with that district's success rate....
http://www.dcwatch.com/archives/council12/12-610.htm

Washington State spends about $7500 per student:
http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/

National averages statistics for state expenditures:
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubs/npefs03/findings.asp

Note that ONLY 9 cents of every education dollar spent by the states on education came from the Feds.

Where does it all go? Here's a sample state education general budget summary from California:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fr/eb/govbudpreview06.asp

And here's the State of Pennsylvania (review the links on the left side):
http://www.pdeinfo.state.pa.us/education_budget/lib/education_budget/BASICEDSUMMARY0607ENBUDGET.pdf
taken from:
http://www.pdeinfo.state.pa.us/education_budget/site/default.asp?g=0

Notice that there ALREADY IS state funding to private schools... usually for the Federal requirements regarding special education provisions.


Private sector education results in rich children getting a good education, and poor children getting minimal or no education at all. The whole reason the states run education is to develop a marketable workforce and attract businesses to the state. Private sector education, without state schools, would result in a rapid spike in illiteracy and a drop in educated workers.

Here are some Adult Literacy statistics for the United States. Notice the jump in score between those without high school/GED graduation, and those WITH a high school diploma or who passed their GED. Those 12 years of school make a real difference.

The more the Federal government "increases standards," the worse off the students are as teachers scramble to get students to become proficient test takers rather than fluent readers.