This is from Senator Dave Cogdill
http://republican.sen.ca.gov/opeds/14/oped4362.asp
Fact: Expenditures have increased by $25 billion since 2003. This raises the question, “What do we have in the way of positive results to show for it?”
Fact: Throwing more money at a failing school system does not improve education. K-12 education is arguably the most contentious issue during budget negotiations. Certainly, we all want our schools to be well funded and provide safe environments that are conducive to learning. Republicans want California’s children to succeed just as much as Democrats do. Where we part ways is in accepting the fallacy that pumping more money into the education budget will necessarily result in better schools.
Fact: Education and per-pupil spending are continually rising. Since 2003, K-12 spending increased by $7 billion. Accordingly, per-pupil spending rose significantly from $8,960 in 2002-03 to $10,612 by 2005-06, according to the National Education Association. According to California’s nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, this places California right in the middle of the pack (25th) nationwide. Moreover, according to the National Education Association, California’s teachers are the highest paid nationwide.
Fact: California’s schools are failing California’s children. The outcome has been underwhelming to say the least. The most recent national assessment of educational progress ranks California’s fourth-graders 47th in the nation in math – down from 45th in 2003 – and 48th in reading – down from 47th in 2003. Similarly, the state’s eighth-graders fell from 44th to 45th in math.
Fact: California’s kids are giving up on California’s schools. Consider California’s shamefully high dropout rate. A report issued by the California Dropout Research Project observes that only two-thirds of California high school students graduate on time. Fully 170,000 of the more than 520,000 children who entered the ninth grade in 2002 dropped out or otherwise failed to graduate with the class of 2006. All the while, enrollment – the actual number of children requiring a public education – has decreased by 74,000 students over the past five years. In short, we’re spending more dollars on fewer kids and achieving less.
California has lost 74,000 children? Where did they go?
Also, while school enrollment was decreasing was illegal immigrant enrollment increasing? If so, this would make the actual decrease ( minus 74,000) actually **worse** than it appears.
I hope this foreshadows the ultimate implosion of the government indoctrination centers ( misnamed “schools”) in California.