Devil's advocate here. This is one more example where the economics of the situation has been separated from the results. Everyone pays but those with children in the system have little voice about whether or not their children are receiving a quality education. If the parents of those children were paying directly for their education, I suspect that the whole education system would look much different than it does. As an ex-teacher myself, I fully understand the basic premise of "for the good of the society." But one doesn't have to look too closely at the current education system to wonder how well it lives up to that goal. We live in an a moderately affluent suburban district that is bucking the trends in educational philosophy that grips most of the rest of the country. Still, I find a lot of the things that go on in our granddaughter's school appalling under the guise of the "for the general good" education. If the current US schools are investment in our future, they are a very poor one.tallmike wrote:Those 4 kids will be the workers of the future who contribute the taxes that pay your social security and medicare benefits. We live in a society, meaning we all rely on each other to some degree. The better educated and more successful those around us are the better we have the chance to live too. Think of your school tax money as an investment in the nation.Skiprr wrote:Where are these increasing populations coming from? Do the DFW school districts require citizenship documentation? Do the parents of those students pay taxes?n5wd wrote:That's an awfully broad paint brush you're using, TAM, and one that, IMHO, isn't justified in the cases that I am familiar with.
Bond issues are how the only way that some entities, such as school districts, are able to expand and grow their facilities in advance of increasing populations such as is happening in most counties in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.
I have no children, yet I pay over $5,000 each year in school district taxes simply because I own a home.
My neighbor across the street has four children attending public school. He pays exactly the same property tax that I do.
What's wrong with this picture?
Am I off base? Let's consider:
1. The number of parents who are now home schooling. Why do they find it necessary to do that?
2. The results of high school graduates getting jobs
3. The preparation for our kids to be good citizens. What percentage of high school graduates understand the way that our government actual works at all levels and their roles as voting citizens.
In general, public education demeans the "trades" (plumbers, electricians, etc.) in favor of academic achievements. So we orient many students who won't go to college to rate themselves against the college model. Is it any wonder that the drop out rates are so high?
You can say that the voting public has a stake in the educational system through the election of the school boards. That may be a bigger farce than the educational system itself. One of the biggest changes that could fix that is for the Federal government to be completely out of the education business.