The Peregrin Falcon

The current state of our economy and what seems like an endless amount of government hands in our pockets on an increasing scale has prompted me to write this post. In conjunction with the obvious problems on a national scale my local school district is joining with the state to propose a state amendment that would prohibit the state from taking money from education.

In an economic downturn that means that the rest of the state suffers, but education is ok. I have to ask my self “Really,? Is education more important than say Highway Patrol? or Transportation? or Water/Sewer Maintenance? or Commerce?” Do we really think that when times are tough that everything else is second to Education? So, I wanted to take one slice of the premise for the amendment and dissect it a little further. It is the contention of many in power today that more money equals more high school graduates. Having more high school graduates is supposed to equal more success in the market and more business, etc.

The question for me is “Does more money equal more graduates?” To answer the question, I didn’t have to look very far. In fact with some help from the U.S. Census Bureau and the pro everything education EdWeek.org I was able to see quite clearly that simply putting more money into the system will not necessarily produce more graduations. That’s right, it is terribly difficult to find ANY report that lists costs per student next to graduation rates for a simply, flat comparison. So, I made one.

The following report lists the graduation rates for each state in 2006 and the U.S. Census data of spending for US elementary and Secondary schools during the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

CostPerStudentComparison

You may notice something that became very clear to me. Initially, it looked as if what had been said was true. Of the schools performing under the average (less than average graduation rates) 72% had under spent the average and only 28% had over spent. Right out of the box this would be a great case for spending more to get more.

However, upon further looking, I found that of the schools that over performed compared to the average 58% had under spent, leaving 42% as the over spenders. In case you missed it, let me rephrase. Out of 51 states (including DC, I know it is not a state) 19 of them spent under the average and out performed the average graduation rate; while 13 under spent and under performed.

Clearly there is not a direct correlation between spending (i.e. Money) and results (i.e. Graduates) and so like most things in life it is more complex than a cursory glance would suggest.

I know that this will not be popular with the NEA leadership. I know that someone will say the teachers in the under spend out perform bracket are low balling tests and thus getting more results; or just passing bad students.

If that were so, why is it such a small percent of the majority that are over spending and getting over average results? Wouldn’t the teachers want to hold back the kids to the numbers would play out in their favor? I think the teachers are trying and are not short changing to get more money or pass more students.

What it all boils down to is this simple fact; more money does not necessarily equal more graduations. In the coming months, many school districts will call for more money, as they have done annually for nearly a hundred years. In this time of economic hardship, let’s stop using children as political capital and start taking real-factual consideration of the situation and be able to say no, not this year. We need more graduations, and that will not come from more money each and every year.

The answer to getting more graduations is a long and complex set of discussions; so for now, I am saying enough is enough.

Here are just a few words from the past that might shed a little light on why we are having the Tax-Day Tea Party phenomena. I will be spending time at a Tea Party today so I figured a quick post to give a little perspective to the ones who will label the rest of us as radical or loony or dissident. We are the people who make this nation run and whose work funds the bailouts and whose work funds the entitlements and whose work gives the handouts and who are tired of working for a ungrateful spoiled lazy whiny populous. We are the people who will no longer remain silent about the profligate and contumelious spending from the public funds.

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“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”

“Government is the people’s business and every man, woman and child becomes a shareholder with the first penny of tax paid.”

“The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much.”

“If I could paraphrase a well-known statement by Will Rogers that he never met a man he didn’t like — I’m afraid we have some people around here who never met a tax they didn’t like.”

“Government is bad when it takes more than 30 percent of a taxpayer’s income in taxes. Proudhon was wrong when he said property is theft; it’s our federal budget that is institutionalized theft.”

“Every dollar the Federal Government does not take from us, every decision it does not make for us will make our economy stronger, our lives more abundant, our future more free.”

“Government has laid its hand on health, housing, farming, industry, commerce, education, and to an ever-increasing degree interferes with the people’s right to know. Government tends to grow, government programs take on weight and momentum as public servants say, always with the best of intentions. But the truth is that outside of its legitimate function, government does nothing as well or economically as the private sector of the economy.”

Ronald Reagan
about taxes

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The hardest thing to understand in the world is the income tax.
Albert Einstein

For every benefit you receive a tax is levied.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

What is the difference between a taxidermist and a tax collector? The taxidermist takes only your skin.
Mark Twain

To tax the community for the advantage of a class is not protection: it is plunder.
Benjamin Disraeli

When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income.
Plato

There is no such thing as a good tax.
Winston Churchill

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When the federal government spends more each year than it collects in tax revenues, it has three choices: It can raise taxes, print money, or borrow money. While these actions may benefit politicians, all three options are bad for average Americans.
Ron Paul

Many of you are well enough off that the tax cuts may have helped you. We’re saying that for America to get back on track, we’re probably going to cut that short and not give it to you. We’re going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good.
Hillary Clinton