California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to shorten the school year by 5 days to save money. Georgia is proposing larger class sizes for next year. One Detroit elementary school is even asking for donations of toilet paper and light bulbs to continue operating.
Things are tough all over, but with drumbeats for a bailout of state budgets growing louder, Mike Petrilli, Checker Finn and Rick Hess argue at National Review that a stimulus package may retard education reform. “There’s scant evidence that an extra dollar invested in today’s schools delivers an extra dollar in value,” the trio note. “And ample evidence that this kind of bail-out will spare school administrators from making hard-but-overdue choices about how to make their enterprise more efficient and effective.”
Over at Flypaper, Petrilli writes with eyes wide open, “Yes, we’re ready for the hate mail.”
I’m wondering if with 5 fewer days in the school year, CA will recalibrate proficiency levels on the STAR test by 3%. Or will schools just be expected to cut those non-essential activities like art and field trips… And if Finn, Petrelli and Hess have other ideas about other non-essential items to cut instead, I’d be happy to hear them.
I find myself wondering if the least harmful cut CA could make would be to furlough the state’s Education Dept for a year… I do find myself wondering why schools need quite so many middle-men between their programs and the funding that supports them.
Comment by Rachel — January 8, 2009 @ 3:58 pm
I’m out of my depth on school finance, Rachel. But it’s hard not to notice (to use a Hollywood metaphor) how many of our education dollars don’t end up on the screen.
Comment by Robert Pondiscio — January 8, 2009 @ 4:13 pm
I’d agree with that — the trouble is that the place they get lost isn’t the school level, but that’s the only level anyone in the “Ed Reform” movement seems to talk about.
But in fact, all the focus on “accountability” tends to lead to large bureaucracies monitoring compliance — sometimes compliance to Federal mandates, other times monitoring compliance with all the rules the legislature sets up to ensure than public money is well spent.
But somehow, when push comes to shove, the budget cutting decisions seem to be about class size, art, and classroom supplies. And, yes, janitorial supplies. Toilet paper has been an issue in our district…
Comment by Anonymous — January 8, 2009 @ 5:19 pm
PS I’m not sure why my last comment claims to be Anonymous — Rachel
Comment by Anonymous — January 8, 2009 @ 5:20 pm
Just crazy. Reminds me of a quote:
“We’re behind everyone else, and we’re going to catch up by going slower than they are?” – Bart Simpson, when put in a remedial class
Our economy is struggling, so we’re going to fix it by cutting education budgets and weakening our future workforce’s skills? I’m all for tightening belts when appropriate, but cutting 5 days is just going to breakthrough a barrier and make it OK to impose all kinds of other drastic budget-saving ideas.
Comment by Dave — January 9, 2009 @ 2:29 pm
I heard yesterday that the plan is to shorten the number of days in the school year, but not the number of instructional minutes.
So its a way of reducing overhead slightly (fewer bus trips, fewer cafeteria meals), and it opens the possibility for districts to re-negotiate teacher salaries which are generally based on a 180-something day work year. But if a district wants to realize any cost savings from that, it’s going to have to put quite a bit of time and energy into acrimonious negotiations.
Comment by Rachel — January 11, 2009 @ 2:45 pm