12/16/2011:
"Why can't I get a disclosure regarding the average cost to the NYC
department of education for each student lunch? Not the cost each student
pays, not the cost of discarding garbage(styrofoam trays); the cost the
Department of education pays for the lunch?!Who are the vendors? How much
do they charge the NYC department of education? NOT THE STUDENTS!!!
"
11/28/2011:
"If I were not an educator, I would read this and think that the more money
a school spends, the better education students receive. Such is not the
case. This is an interesting yet misleading article. Take it with a grain
of salt. If you want to know how your school is doing, don't look at how
much money it spends; rather, look at student performance and talk to a
variety of parents.
"
05/20/2011:
"There should be more money to be donated to the Instrumental program in
this school. In fact, most teachers do not even want to use the expensive
SmartBoards that the school provides to them."
05/12/2011:
"Financial literacy is important for the development of our society.
Having this information helps families better understand the resources and
their usage as it pertains to their childs' school. At Operation
HOPE/Banking on Our Future we are committed to Financial Literacy
education and empowerment. We offer FREE Financial Literacy education for
Students."
11/29/2010:
"Lobby for increased funding? Is there no end? There is a negative inverse
relationship between expenditures and quality of student. No
accountability no money."
03/15/2010:
"Do not confuse education for our young with feeding them or providing
'administrators' ! for the system. Who of you has ever had an
administrator who got your job done?
On the other hand, have you ever had a good or even life-changing teacher?
I don't believe those first answers exceed the second, and my personal
experience and education include six states, two countries, and three
professional fields, exposures allowing reasonable appraisal of many kinds
of administrators and educators.
Your household (including your own education)is the single biggest factor
in your child's improved student performance--nutrition, early preparation
and ongoing support for rigorous child input for learning; bedtimes;
physical activities, including sports (NOT a school subject, despite the
helmet heads whose family time is spent in front of the tube living a
vicarious 'hero' life). Class size and teacher dedication make the
difference when home values are missing.
Do you want to fix home values for others? You can't; you can only look
after your own. You can feed the kids; control the size of classes;
volunteer to spend time with youngsters who did not ask to be born without
blue eyes and blonde hair--no choices! Heaven help you if only that group
provides YOUR well-being. You'd be missing an extraordinary set of amazing
contributions from people all over the world, with uncounted cultural and
ethnic backgrounds that enrich and prolong your life without any awareness
on your part.
Do your job and let teachers do theirs. Do not have salaries for
non-classroom personnel that exceed those of the ones who are meeting our
necessary first line requirement: teaching. That old argument that
dedication drives a 'real' teacher is true. However, when the students
hold raffles and garage sales to make up the financial difference for what
insurance did not cover in their teacher's cancer treatment, dedication
won't get the papers graded and the concept explained so every different
learner can grasp it--that dies when physical limits close down.
Do your job. Be a hero to kids. Grow up. Use what you learned in the
very best sense."
02/24/2010:
"Seems to me that what is spend on average per student is $500.00 over the
average. Most of the students who come from low income families also
qualify for food stamps and if they have siblings under 5 years old the
household is probably also getting WIC. On average $600 to $700 per a
family of four. They are also on free or reduced breakfast and lunch.
That allows the family to purchase as many snacks and other food that
makes them fat---so what is the purpose of giving them healthy lunches at
school? Classrooms that have an average of 12 pupils vs the 20 average in
other schools does not make sense when they take four months to teach them
the subject of bullying. This school has a couple of talented students
but they were not produced in the school, they entered school with those
talents."
12/3/2009:
"'Re: 'Why do we have to change what we teach so the blacks '
Three things come to mind ... One, you are and proably never been 'Black'
...
Two, the history books are written by the 'Conqueror' not the 'Conquered'
and finally three ....
You've already shown your ignorance in the contributions 'Black's' have
made to your personal standard of living. You are so sad ..."
08/24/2009:
"It states that minority and low income students are the one's whom suffer
most when it comes to funding. Does this report take into consideration
the federal funding for the migrant (Hispanic) programs. There is a whole
floor in the administrative building, which is dedicated just for this
minority group. He/she is given everything from clothing (tee shirts,
shoes, underwear, pants, socks) to every school supply one can imagine.
This minority group is in better shape than any other minority group or
poor student of any other ethnic group.
On another note, where does the travel expense come in. The economy has
caused a big hit to this extra that the instructional staff has taken
advantage of to the max; staying in five star hotels, on the beach... If
the tax payers could see the statistics on this figure he/she would be
livid. Does this figure into the instructional category, due to the fact
that it is conferences to allegedly make the teaching staff more
knowledgeable? How will he/she teach now without this perk??? When I was
in school, there were no conferences, and the teachers took very little
time off. How did he/she do it without these conferences. Perhaps better
qualifications, in field teaching?? Not only does it cost for the travel,
hotel..., but it costs the taxpayer for a substitute teacher for the time
the teacher misses. How does this better our child's education? What are
the qualifications for a sub? Very little!!! "
08/24/2009:
"I think all schools should spend more money for better school lunches,
bigger desks, and more books in the library and newer computers"
08/19/2009:
"Re: 'Why do we have to change what we teach so the blacks that make up
only 18% of the population is honored. If what anyone person has achieve
helps either define us as a people or achievement will help our children
to understand how we got here and where they need to take us then it
should be included but no group is better than another.' The issue has
nothing to do with feeling honored, it is that the only contribution the
history books teach students about the contributions of blacks to society
is in slavery. We can learn about the fact that a European author was in
love with his cousin, but not about the buffalo soldiers, or the Tuskegee
Airmen. Those things are available for entertainment purposes only. The
Asians in this country are also barely, if not at all acknowledged in the
history classes. It is not about the percentage of the population a
groups makes up, it is about American history. I seem to have learned
more about Europe than America in my classes. Q!
uestion: If the only thing taught in American history was how the
Europeans came to America and diseased the natives and forced Christianity
on the 'heathens', would that seem to be an accurate representation? I
understand how you could see it as making a small percentage of the
population feel good, but try looking at it from the other side."
04/2/2009:
"Having traveled all over the world and visited many schools that problem
with American Schools is too much political correctness. Why do we have
to change what we teach so the blacks that make up only 18% of the
population is honored.
If what anyone person has achieve helps either define us as a people or
achievement will help our children to understand how we got here and where
they need to take us then it should be included but no group is better
than another. Second religion should be allowed in schools because it is
a big part of who we are. the constitution does not say we can not speak
about religion it just says that we can not choose one over another. So
teach it based on history only but in order to understand how we got here
you have to talk about it.
We also need to track children like is done in the rest of the world. Not
all kids are going to college so lets work with industry to make them
ready for something other than warehouse work."
01/2/2009:
"re: the give-away of computers to poor kids: I'm a teacher and my low-income school used to do a program to give away computers. But the parents just sell them for money. How sad. This is why giveaways don't work: people don't appreciate it, and they abuse it."
12/23/2008:
"How can I find out what the average per student for a charter school in colorado "
12/17/2008:
"I live in Mississippi and my childrens school does not teach science. I find that very discouraging. how can i change that if possible. Can you offer suggestions and/or help."
12/5/2008:
"There is a lot involved in the education of our kids. I am not knocking teachers or the administrative side of that 'department' by no means. It does seem to me that at the first hint of budget cuts departments such as transportation, food service,maintenance and security quickly become the ones who are thrown under the bus.
Instead of sharing the burden of the cuts it becomes a 'divide and conquer' battle in which the supposed 'winner' actually is a 'loser' in the long run.
I am saying that the unions...especially the teachers union, and the politicians should keep this in mind. It is easier to sink a lot of lifeboats than it is to sink a ship.
I know that the word 'vouchers' is very unpopular among teachers union members however ...that word is returning to the surface again and it is this 'divide and conquer' mentality that is reviving it with a blast of fresh oxygen.
"
12/5/2008:
"If there are any cuts, it will NOT be the administration that suffers. The superintendents have six figure salaries. It will be the
children, who do without new textbooks, and have dirty, ratty library books, no computers, have low
quality 'food' full of pesticides, white sugar,
white flour, corn syrup, soy {a thyroid depresser},
hydrogenated fats, sodium, milk with added sugar,
flavoring, hormones and antibiotics. I hate to even think about the lack of quality of the 'meats'.
It will be the children , who make do with playground equipment with arsenic in the wood
and in the wood chips below the swings. There is
no piano, and few art supplies. The hand-outs
look cheap with small print , which kids find
hard to see/read. On rainy, cold , or windy
days, they must 'play 'in the gym, but they don't want the basketball floors made muddy by the children's feet , therefore, they slide a little on the
floors or try to run in their sock feet and it hurts
the kid's feet. This is not proper exercise, in my book. They will do without a proper inside room to play in and proper indoor exercise equipment.
The teachers continue to suffer in silence, as
do the children with our skeleton of a cirriculum
calleld N.C.L.B. I see the light going out of little
kid's eyes and the boredom and it breaks my heart.
I see the teachers willing to sell their souls to keep
a job, thus, they stay silent and conform. They have hard circumstances now, but it will get worse
as the economy demands cuts. Need I say more?
"
12/5/2008:
"To be honest with you, the school funding does not surprise me. Presidio is a border town to Ojinaga, Chi., Mexico. I think the school staff is here only to benefit themselves and not for the benefit of education. Majority of the students here speak Spanish and very little English as well as most of the school staff. I am not very happy with the education or anything else that is provided to the students here in Presidio, but we live here due to personal reasons. I think the school district here could do a better job at handling the school funding as well as educating the students. Most of the people here (school staff and the community) have an 'I don't care attitude'. The students have a very low opinion of the school staff as does the school staff towards the students. I sincerely believe someone with authority outside this school district should come and review the entire school district here in Presidio, Texas. I think this is a very sad community."
10/24/2008:
"What should I do if I suspect that there has been a gross misuse of public funds, resulting in a lack of necessary services to Special Needs students? (I am a Special Education teacher who left my Distict after 'asking too many questions about the above', and suffering retaliation and discrimination, since.) I do not have any representation of any kind. I look forward to hearing back from you, and I am glad to have stumbled across your site. "
09/4/2008:
"Why can't the school find some kind of funding or fundraising for that fact, to help low-income children have access to computers that they can not afford and in most cases, do not have even the transportation to get to a library????????"
08/15/2008:
"Special education is taking a large amount of money from the general fund. If there are many special education students in a district, then that a reason for the difference in per student spending."
08/5/2008:
"why is the schools finances considerably less than the state average? on one hand it may seem that they are being conservative and not wasting money...but you can also look at it as...not spending the dollar amounts on whats best for the students? "
07/10/2008:
"Where and what school district allows the public to query them at school board meetings and actually answer? Have you seen the trial in Tampa that is going to allow the parents, teachers, and administrators craft their own budget? It was done elsewhere and 50% of the educators jumped ship because they did not want the responsibility.
When questioned my district evades and never responds. It would take a judge with a jail cell to loosen them up."
11/30/2007:
"The major variables that are under the control of the school are school size and class size. As these directly tap into the two most costly aspects of running a school (salaries and maintenance), the dollar amount required to make even slight improvements is typically so large that tax payers wouldn't even consider it. For example, to reduce class sizes from 40 to 20, you would need twice as many schools, twice as many teachers, etc. This means at least doubling what we spend on education (more than doubling until any new schools are actually constructed). Education is already the largest item in the state budget... Tax payers are simply not willing to pay for quality. "
11/30/2007:
"I appreciate the information-
my husband I thought that all schools got the same amount of money-Now that I understand-Why have'nt we implemented the same amountof money and resources for each child it seems to be a simple solution.I appreciate the advice for the asking questions of the superintendent-but surely I cannot be the only parent who has asked this question-Why not spend the same amount of money on each child? Since it seems the superintendent has been unable to make a change-how as parents can we help the superintendent get our voices heard-If I can help in any way I would love to be contacted-Everyones child deserves the very best"
05/2/2007:
"
I find it funny that building maintenance and operations,as well as security and monitoting;which I assume relates to the safety and well-being of our children;should be put into the 'other' catagory."
05/2/2007:
"I only read quickly through this. I did not see a comparison of a school's performance before an increase in funding compared to its identical performance after an increase in funding. My point is that the population base itself might account for performance and not funding and spending. You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear nor, can you make a sow's ear out of silk purse. If the school is in a bad locale, it is not the school that produces the poo results; it is the locale. "
05/2/2007:
"Re: School Finance
Are Charter schools held to the same standards as Public schools?"
