A sobering look at Georgia's educational budget woes

There is some busing. The kids who live five miles the other way and near a factory get bused to my kids' school.

 

Putting a synthetic surface on the football field was probably a very prudent financial decision, thinking long-term. And it also enables the field to be used year-round, by soccer, football, baseball and lacrosse, much as the one in my city is. Hard to find fault there.

But if you eliminate free public-school bussing, you make it very hard for a number of the students to get to school, you unnecessarily add stress to many working families, and you increase traffic substantially.

The bottom line is, a free K-12 public education is an expensive undertaking. It's also a great social equalizer in this country, affords opportunity to those who might not otherwise get it, and has been the backbone of this country for more than a century.

Education should be first in line for revenue and last in line for cuts.

 

But politicians can't put their names on new school buses or textbooks.

 

Yep.

But teabaggers will never cut buses. That inconveniences them.

 

You're probably right - but it doesn't look good when the schools' libraries were closed because librarians were laid off. Some were called back this week.

 

That describes North Dallas to a T.

A town not far from here, population 7,000, passed a massive $710 million bond issue for a school building project, including a 2,000-student high school, two middle schools and a bunch of elementary schools. Then the housing bubble burst, the recession hit, and now they're stuck with a high school building that's barely a third full — and a ginormous bill.

 

One of the school districts Crusoes covers (and Mustang used to cover) built a second high school, moved all the kids there to renovate the first high school, moved the kids back to the first school and closed the new school because it couldn't afford to operate it.

Seriously.

 

The suburbs be shrinking.

 

It wasn't a population loss. It was financial mismanagement.

 

There are school districts in Minnesota that bus open-enrolled kids from other districts. Another smart move from administrators.

 

Wait, 7,000 people and a 2,000 student high school?

You might not have 2,000 students in your entire school district.

 

There are lots and lots of great kids with great parents -- in private schools because they know the public school system is a sewer.