Posted on 06/02/2010 5:39:05 AM PDT by MichCapCon
At a recent rally where school employees called for an increase in state taxes, a representative of the Warren Education Association claimed that school revenues were in such disrepair that some students had to go without desks. A spokesperson from Warren Consolidated Schools denied this claim, but even if it were true, a few very minor policy changes well short of tax hikes would be all that is necessary to pay for many new desks.
According the the Warren district's collective bargaining agreement with teachers, the president of the local teachers union is paid the highest possible salary the contract will allow ($92,835), plus full fringe benefits. The union boss is also released from all teaching duties, meaning that the district pays this person not to instruct students but to conduct union business.
The vice president of the union is also released from teaching duties for half of each school day. To make up the slack, the district is forced to keep additional teachers on the payroll. Based on the average teacher salary in Warren of $73,421, this additional cost for providing release time to union officials would buy 1,380 new desks every year...
(Excerpt) Read more at michigancapitolconfidential.com ...
Here in AZ after passing a 1 cent additional tax “For the Children” the teachers went out and bought themselves each a new laptop computer for about $1200. Its the Chicago Way!
What you findout is that anywhere from 80% to 90% of the entire expense goes to the teachers.
What's needed here is what Reagan did to the flight controllers.
What would happen if every government teacher were fired, the teacher unions dissolved, and all government schools were turned into charters, voucher, and tax credit schools?
What would happen if after every government school in the state was turned into a charter, voucher, or tax credit school, each citizen and all business was given a tax credit and allowed to donate it to any child, private education fund, or private school of their choice?
What if, at the same time, every business and citizen was given a MASSIVE reduction in property taxes?
What would happen if at the end of ten years every school in the state was turned into a **private** school and parents paid for their **own** kid's education with charity taking care of the poor.
What if at the same time state sales taxes were reduced by two thirds?
What if states**immediately** reduced zoning and other regulations so that independent teachers could open one-room schools in their homes? ( Imagine the reduction in the cost of schooling.)
What would happen if the Department of Education were immediately abolished and all citizens and businesses given a reduction in their federal taxes?
I would just love to see a Republican with the gonads to do that.
The “budget” for educating children would make an Enron accountant blush!
Whatever a state claims that it costs to educate a government school child, DOUBLE that! Twice what they claim is likely the true cost.
In my state, retired teachers and the many other retired school employees, are NOT considered a school expense. They are considered “retired” state workers and their health benefits and retirement pay is NOT counted as a school expense.
Also...New schools and school upgrades are NOT considered a school expense in the budget. They are local bond issues. Our county just opened a 70 MILLION dollar high school and not one dime of that money is found in the school budget.
Then there the lesser expenses that are not included such as police surveillance of the halls, or police supervision of school events, and services such as lawn maintenance.
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