LATEST SUBMISSIONS

Lack of money does not cause schools' problems

Thursday, May 17 at 12:01 AM

This Speakout has not been edited

By Robert Hardaway, University of Denver School of Law

As the legal and political battle over raising property taxes heats up, the underlying assumption upon which it is based — namely that increased expenditures will improve the quality of Colorado’s public schools — is not currently being addressed.

Public schools in this country currently spend more than twice as much money per student as private schools. Yet many parents are willing to dig deeply into their own pockets for the privilege of sending their children to private schools where far fewer resources are expended on them.

Why?

Expenditures on public schools in the U.S. exceed those of any other country on earth. Since 1970, teacher salaries have exploded 18 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars, while teacher-faculty ratios have declined by one-fourth. During the 1960’s and 70’s, federal aid to education rose by 83 percent and federal aid doubled as proportion of the nation’s total education budget. As expenditures rose, however, student performance has declined precipitously.

If money were the solution, America’s schools would be the best in the world. In fact, however, American public school students ranked 19th out of 20 countries in international achievement tests (nudging out Jordan), although American students did excel in “self-esteem” and the number of hours watching television (managing to nudge out Mozambique for that distinction).

In the U.S., a study has shown that Iowa, which ranked No. 1 in the nation in SAT scores, ranked 27th in per capita student expenditures. Utah, which ranked dead last among the states in per capita expenditures, finished 4th in test scores. Harrison, Arkansas, which spent less than one third as much per student as New Jersey, ranked in the top 5% in student performance.

In Japan, where public schools students consistently finish first or second in international tests, per-student expenditure is about a third of that in the U.S., despite a higher cost of living. It is not unusual for classes to have 40-45 students. Most classrooms lack central heating, and students are asked to carry coal in buckets every day to fuel the stove. To reduce expenses, students are routinely asked to perform janitorial functions that would be considered beneath the dignity of U.S. students.

Japanese students are issued cheap paperback books costing about a dollar or less. Such amenities as counselors, cafeterias and carpets considered to be necessities in American schools have been described as “nonessential in Japanese schools. Even school libraries are poorly stocked. The average Japanese would simply be overwhelmed with the facilities in (U.S. public schools).”

There is no secret, however, as why Japanese students perform so high on international tests, while lavishly equipped American counterparts struggle to nudge out Jordan in international comparisons. Students are exposed to a rigorous but basic curriculum of math, science, literature, history, geography and language skills. In the U.S., the bureaucracy has consistently resisted a back-to-the basics curriculum, and instead emphasized such soft subjects as “social studies”, or “rainforest math”.

The problem with our public schools is not lack of money. Rather, the problem is that our public schools refuse to grant authority to teachers to discipline students or to protect innocent students from disruptive ones. The Model School Disciplinary Code issued by Harvard University, and which is purportedly based on principles of “due process”, states that no serious disciplinary action can be taken against any public school student unless that student is provided with “due process” in the form of a “hearing before an. impartial panel…the right to legal counsel… the right to present evidence, and cross examine adverse witnesses…” Not surprisingly, discipline in the public schools has become problematic and impractical.

As a result, a public school student now has a 5% chance of being harmed by a deadly weapon.

A study conduced by the U.S. Office of Education, entitled “Public and Private High Schools”, concluded that private schools enjoyed one great advantage over public schools —namely a lack of funding. One student of that study has observed that with less money, private schools “retain a traditional curriculum and academic structure that have fallen victim to pop trends and political pressure in public schools… and thus elicit greater achievement, even from students with comparable family and socioeconomic backgrounds.”

In short, what private school parents are paying for is not better resources, or higher paid teachers (in fact teachers are paid less in private schools). Rather what they are paying for is a safe learning environment for their children.

In short, what our public schools need is not more money, but a re-ordering of priorities and the institution of the disciplinary measures used by private schools to provide a safe learning environment, a slashing of the unnecessary and wasteful bureaucracy, and return of authority to teachers.

Raising property taxes will only increase the monthly payments of Colorado homeowners and increase our already devastating foreclosure rates, especially among the poor. The one thing it will not do is improve our public schools.

Robert Hardaway is Professor of Law at the University of Denver College of Law and the author of “America Goes to School: Law, Reform, and Crisis in Public Education” (Praeger Publishers).

READER COMMENTS

AMEN! You Hit that one one the Nose! Great post! Maybe if the public school system had some competition, they would be doing a better job and lowering the cost on tax payers?

Posted by Karen on May 22, 2007 02:27 PM

AMEN! You Hit that one one the Nose! Great post! Maybe if the public school system had some competition, they would be doing a better job and lowering the cost on tax payers?

Posted by Karen on May 22, 2007 02:27 PM

You are very correct in your statements about schools. But other factors causing poor education is too much emphazes on diversity education, too much time spent on bi-lingual education and too many illegal uneducated students dragging down the entire school system. DPS is going down the sewer quickly. It has only begun to see parents take their children to private schools or move out of Denver. The only thing TaX Ritter can see is more taxes on everyone.
Thank you for your post!

Posted by Citizen on May 17, 2007 07:32 PM

Your point on school discipline is dead on. My daughte's has 4 students in her class that disrupt class on a daily basis.She is in 1st grade.

Three weeks ago one of the trouble makers took her lunch box while she was standing in line and repeatedly slammed it up against the wall and busted it open.The principal called me and said this child's parents were called and they would replace the lunch box. I took the reciept to the office and a few days later recieved payment in an envelope. Nothing else. No apology or anything.

Last week my daughter came to me and told me another trouble maker was hitting her in the back and chest. This happened on the playgroung during after lunch recess. they have parent volunteers to watch the children so the teachers can have a lunch period. Each time she reported to the adult in charge ,the adult would tell the kid to say he's sorry.

Yesterday was the final straw. This same kid that has been hitting my kid bit her on the arm while she was waiting in line to go to lunch. the lunch monitor was told and she told the boy stop that or you will lose your recess tomorrow.

I have a call into the principal and am considering filing charges on this child. No one seems to be doing anything to get the trouble makers in line.I am sick and tired of the excuses and the parents not doing anything to teach their children how to behave.

The school system is out of control.The teachers and administrators have no authority to deal with the dirupted students. In the mean time children who are there to learn are not getting a proper education because all of the disruptions.

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

Posted by Can I get an AMEN! on May 17, 2007 07:48 AM

Here you go Professor. El Paso Tx.

Policies lax

In reference to Mr. Lewis C. Moorer's letter, "Revoke passes" (May 6), it is not the lack of immigration enforcement that allows all these children who live in Mexico that come across every day to attend mainly public schools.

I put all the blame on the school districts in El Paso that do not enforce the residency requirement of the parents and students.

Most of these parents are Mexican nationals who have border crossing cards and use the address of a relative who lives in El Paso to satisfy the school districts' residency requirement.

I can't believe that the school districts look the other way because they well know that most of these children do not live in El Paso. The long lines at the international bridges prove this.

Every year I have to go on a waiting list to enroll my children in the school they belong to because the school is so overcrowded with children who live in Mexico.

Enrique Gonzalez

East El Paso

Posted by Ben on May 17, 2007 06:19 AM