Never before has it cost so much to produce so little … at a time when the state of South Carolina (and the taxpayers who support it) can ill afford to waste a penny.
In the worst economic year since the Great Depression, South Carolina’s public schools received a record $8.4 billion in government funding – a 4.5% increase from the previous year.
That boosts per pupil funding in the Palmetto State over $12,000 for the first time in state history, although less than half of that money is actually making it into the classroom.
The remarkable new data – released by the State Office of Research and Statistics (a division of the S.C. Budget & Control Board) – should end once and for all the myth that schools have been suffering from “budget cuts,” assuming of course that the state’s mainstream media decides to report on the data.
Which is always an uncertain proposition in this state …
Of course, it’s not just the staggering amount of public funding that’s being poured into a system that continues to fall further behind the rest of the nation, it’s where the money is going … or rather not going.
For example, take a look at this chart from the ORS …
As you can see from the numbers above, a whopping $2.76 billion was spent in 2008 on bureaucratic costs – up $220 million (or 8.5%) from the previous year, or nearly two-thirds of the state’s total funding increase.
All told, only 44 cents of every taxpayer dollar spent on “education” in South Carolina is actually going toward classroom instruction.
Translation?
First of all, public schools have not seen their budget cuts – but are continuing to do a piss poor job of prioritizing academic funding.
Oh, and at a time when educrats were complaining of budget cuts and threatening to fire or furlough teachers, they were raking in the lion’s share of surplus funding.
Also, keep in mind that these figures don’t include an estimated $800 million in carry-forward reserve accounts.
So, what have South Carolina taxpayers and parents received in exchange for this massive investment? That’s easy – declining SAT scores, ACT scores as well as the nation’s lowest graduation rate and a growing achievement gap. Simply put, at every point along the academic spectrum, South Carolina children are falling further behind the rest of the nation.
On top of that, educrats are currently lobbying to dumb down the state’s new standardized exam, the Palmetto Assessment of State Standards test …
Seriously, folks … if this state’s education bureaucracy isn’t the greatest scam on earth, we don’t know what is …
WEB EXTRA:
S.C. Office of Research and Statistics 2008 Local Government Finance Report
By Millage October 19, 2009 at 2:22 pm
More and more money! That’s what the kids need!
Too bad those pesky teacher take up so much money, no doubt there are many more highly qualified administrators would could use a salary supplement!
By Todd October 19, 2009 at 3:00 pm
I have a child at one of the “best” public high schools in the state, allegedly. In AP classes, we have had the worst language arts teachers imaginable. The administrators and consultants and district people are running into each other in the halls. GET DECENT TEACHERS IN THE CLASSROOMS!
By Beatrice Thomlinson October 19, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Unbelievable. SCRG posts incorrect information on its web site, and FITS repeats the post without bothering to see if it’s true.
According to FITS: “In the worst economic year since the Great Depression, South Carolina’s public schools received a record $8.4 billion in government funding – a 4.5% increase from the previous year.”
Problem is, anybody who actually took the time to visit the Budget and Control Board’s web site and pull up the data could see that the numbers weren’t from last year at all. They were from FY 2008, the year BEFORE the budget crisis hit.
Can’t let the truth get in the way of selling private school vouchers, I guess. How many times does this have to happen before people wise up?
By Cooter Brown October 19, 2009 at 4:27 pm
If’n anie’un frum da gob’mint comes ’round a talkin’ ’bout needin’ t’ raze taxes t’ fund edukasun, put yer hand on yer wallet an’ git th’ shot-gun frum ova da mantlepiece! Thares a fixin’ t’ bee sum high-falutin’, know-it-all, doo-guder aimin’ t’ “raise yer conscionsness” an’ steel ye outta house & home!
By funnygirl October 19, 2009 at 5:12 pm
yAHOO Cooter!
By baker October 19, 2009 at 6:09 pm
The numbers also indicate that “administration” receives far less money than “instruction.”
To get the calculations Will and the other “school choice” hardliners want to make their misleading points, they have to lump in construction costs and extracurricular activities and the like. Of course, the assertion is that the building plans are ridiculous and aimed at giving superintendents deluxe offices…..but that doesn’t square with reality in the districts (like Spartanburg District 2) that are literally running out of room.
Anyway, it’s all a matter of playing around with the numbers until SCRG and people like that can make their shady assertions.
By fitsnews October 19, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Baker-
Of course admin receives less than instruction, you moron.
The job of schools, the last time we checked, was to TEACH.
Only in SC has it turned into a damn bureaucratic employment agency, though.
Teaching? 3.7 billion. Admin? 2.7 billion.
You happy with that ratio?
Again, though, the ratio is irrespective to the fact that our public school system is failing.
-FITS
By BIN News Editorial Staff October 19, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Beatrice,
sic(k) willie has no interest in the truth about education. He just takes Howie’s voucher scam money and pukes up the wacko rhetoric he’s fed by the voice for voucher scams and SC for irResponsible voucher scams.
He never talks about the real problems. He doesn’t care!
He never talks about the poverty and latent racism or the host of social ills that come with them. He never talks about the imbalanced funding.
Worst of all he never talks about the shameful S.C. standard for public education: “minimally adequate.”
sic(k) willie knows the voucher scam would only leave those who need help the most even further and further behind.
sic(k) willie cares nothing about education in S.C. All he cares about is the voucher pimp money he gets from Howie and his voucher clowns.
Bottom line: Vouchers are dead in S.C.
Jakie said so. And Jakie means what he says!
BIN News Editorial Staff
Flair and Balanced
By baker October 19, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Moron?
Aw, Will….and I thought you and I were friends.
By Hello October 19, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Why are people so blind to the school sham concerning administrators. In Spartanburg, there are 7 districts. Thats 6 more than in Greenville. So, you have 7 supers (making lots of cash$$$), an untold number of assistant supers, and on and on…..Teachers need to paid well for what they put up with. I have no idea how administration salaries grew out of control the way they have. Heck, district 5 in Sptbg has an 80K a year athelitic coordinator. Just think how that reflects on people coming to SC to open businesses. 80K a year, but can’t get teachers to the Southeastern average. I bet the admins are above the SE average, as well as the AD for district 5.
By No Way! October 19, 2009 at 8:50 pm
What kinda shotgun does Cooter have over the mantle? Is it a AK-47?
By baker October 19, 2009 at 9:26 pm
Regarding your question about how much “administration” should get vs. “instruction,” I suspect that most all districts could trim some fat. I’m fine with you there. But how much? I’m not sure things are at all what you seem to be claiming.
Partly, the issue is what’s included in the “administration” category. I suspect that includes guidance counselors, for example, though I honestly do not know. Those are people who provide an important service to children — and their positions are required by law.
The other thing about administration is that it depends greatly on how those positions are used. I’ve worked in schools — and the places where assistant principals really enforce discipline, those schools really, really benefit. I think teachers would agree that it’s absolutely worth paying those folks to do that job. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case in all schools. Administrators CAN offer great support to teachers (discipline, help with bureaucratic paperwork required by the state or feds, building relationships with parents, etc.) that make a difference in teachers’ ability to do their jobs successfully.
It’s also true, of course, that the numbers come out the way they do, in part, because most administrators make more money than teachers. I’m not necessarily crazy about this. But that’s pretty much the way things work in all organizations, whether governments, non-profit, or for-profit. And it is a fact that school administrators generally work more days than teachers — they’re usually on 12-month calendars — so that justifies some of it.
So, sure, I get the stuff about cutting administrative and “educrat” costs. But things aren’t always as they seem. And without knowing what, more specifically, is included in the category called “administrative” costs, it’s hard for to pinpoint and describe exactly what is going on.
By John Steinberger October 20, 2009 at 3:54 am
We need the common sense of a classroom teacher to sweep the educrats out the door and improve our schools. Check out http://www.votekellypayne.com!
By Cooter Brown October 20, 2009 at 6:26 am
Mista By No Way! –
I ain’t gots no citie-slicker AK-47, but I do gots a shotgun dat’s sure t’ cure anie lingerin’ doubts about my posishun on skool fundin’ should sum gob’mint theif come a callin’ on me at my farm!
By First Hand Experience October 20, 2009 at 10:36 am
Having taught in the “premier” district and in one of the rural districts in SC, I’ve seen first hand that the level of education isn’t proportional to the amount of money spent in a classroom. The level of education in a classroom is dependent upon the level of commitment by the teacher, the students and the students’ parents. Also, the number of administrators or specialists in a district contribute very little to the educational experiences in a classroom. If all of the copier paper at district offices was confiscated and internet access was limited to one hour a day, the level of administrative assistance in the classrooms might increase tremendously. Attend a PTA meeting and survey the crowd. They know which teachers are earning their salary, because they’ve experienced the results. They know which administrators are truly contributing to their children’s education and which are holding down chairs in front of computer screens and consulting with the NEA or government “high command” for their next dictated action.
IF the BIN News editorial staff supports the new health care plans, then they should also support the voucher system. If competition in the health care system by adding a government funded option to the private options is a great thing, then provide the same choices in the education system by allowing the public to choose between public and private options. Seems like a double standard to me to support it in one area but not in another. Parents should be responsible for their child’s education, and should be allowed to choose how THEIR tax dollars are spent in educating THEIR child. Currently, most parents think it is the responsibility of the government to educate their children for them, because the government told them that was the government’s responsibilty. If you put the responsibility back on the parents, then they will take a more active interest in the matter rather than expecting the government schools to handle it. If folks are smart enough to choose a health care plan, I think they are smart enough to survey the options and choose the best educational plan for their own children whether it be the failing public one they are zoned for, or another public school, or a private one. A chance at personal responsibility might be educational in and of itself and motivate a higher level of interest and participation! Good choices equal good consequences. Bad choices equal bad consequences. Bad consequences are unpleasant and to be avoided, so choose carefully from now on. Very simple concept, but the government doesn’t seem to get it because it is too busy trying to choose for everyone. Additionally, all teachers would have a new motivation for improvement. If schools are financially dependent upon good reputations based on good results, then the “dead wood” in the system will be eliminated. Teach effectively or find another job. Wages are earned, not given for attendance.
Am I the only one that notices the “forked tongue” position on these two topics?
Oh, Cooter, better take that gun down from the mantle so’s the gubment men cain’t find it when they cums fo it. Go hides it ‘tween the mattresses and scrounge you up as much ammo as you can buys fo it gits regulated too! Gather the chilruns arouns and reads ‘em the Constitution, since they ain’t seed it at skool. Lets ‘em no dat they doos have rights dat they needs to be figurin on protectin fo they gits gone. Then reads from duh Good Book an learn ‘em how to behave and love one another. Learn ‘em that life’s a precious gift from duh Good Lord, so’s they don’t go shootin’ and killin’ nobody fo no good reason atall or abortin no precious babies. Hug ‘em close an let ‘em know theys special an loved and ought to be proud to be yo chile and live in the greatest country in thu whole wide world. Tell ‘em you ‘pect ‘em to grows tall an strong sos they can work hard and EARN a livin’ and keep the ‘ol USA a great place to live. They don’t learn ‘em that at skool neither. Make ‘em doos they homework an studies hard sos they can knows when theys tryin to be fooled.
By baker October 21, 2009 at 7:15 pm
First-hand knowledge guy: I figure that if you have worked in a poor, rural SC district, you realize that few “choices” actually exist for parents and students. And that may, in fact, be zero private school choices for students with the lowest grades and test scores.
By Eye on the Tiger October 24, 2009 at 3:34 pm
What ever came of the suit against Clemson University for hiding $80 million from the South Carolina taxpayers while telling the state they were broke? More importantly, what ever came of the money?
http://media.www.tigertownobserver.com/media/storage/paper1123/news/2008/03/04/NewsAndOpinion/Clemson.Lawsuit.Update-3251057.shtml#5
By Dea January 21, 2010 at 1:00 pm
I am a parent and a volunteer with three children who have attended public school. Overall I have been satisfied with the education my children have received and our oldest says he is well prepared for college, having achieved a GPA of 3.7 his first semester. However many children are not doing well academically and we should all be alarmed. These are the individuals who will be taking care of us as we grow old.
There are many different reasons students’ are not successful, both from within the home and school. Yet spending time and energy pointing fingers does nothing for the morale of educators and the challenges they face in the classroomm, from kids who never do their homework, to the inability to use technology because of inadequate infastructures, to the absenteeism due to mold growing in the corners of the classroom and the bathrooms without working sinks, to the increase in behavioral and mental health problems caused by the break down of the family and the use of drugs and alcohol, to say nothing of the violence and pronography that is everywhere.
Just like any well run business or home, it is important to have a continquency fund. That 800 million is spread over 83 school districts and is needed to be assured bond rating for school contruction, as well as protection against the legislature who frequently makes changes in the amount of funds promised after districts’ budgets have been set and hiring and purchasing has already taken place each year. And besides doe your home cost you more to run, has the purchase of a car gone up, do you spend more for groceries, is your insurance more costly, do you every get a raise at work- why wouldn’t the cost of educating our children increase also?
If one needs to point a finger- it should be at our legislature who has not had the courage to address the complicated and out of date school funding forumla for SC. Just like in a Doctors office – more regulations and rules adopted the more people and funds you need to oversee the quality of the services and the collection of payment.
It is the legislators who are putting forth the laws, testing requirements, accountability and regulations for education. Administrators are there to implement the laws. State employees do not have the right to publically speak out for or against the decisions made by the legislature and the governor. The change from PAST to PASS required legislative action.
Don’t get me wrong there are good things that have come out from standardized testing and accountability. Today in South Carolina no matter what public school you attend, you are taught from the same educational standards. Yes some teachers are better than others and some administrators are better than others, but isn’t that true in any setting? Sometimes we have to teach our children to rise above the shortcoming of a teacher or program- it could help them to learn skills which will help them be resourceful and successful in the workforce.
I am sure there are ways that we could all learn to be less wasteful of resources and the money we spend, and its important to hold each other accountable. But instead of spending our time making education a political issue, wouldn’t it be wonderful if each one of us found a way to regularly give back to our community by volunteering at our public schools. There are so many children that need a mentor or tutor.
As for how our nation ranks educationally- we are one of few countries in the world who believe that all children have the right to a quality education. So if we are giving standardized tests to all children in the U.S. and are trying to compare ourselves to only the best and the brightest in China or India of course our performance does not look as good.
As for South Carlonia- we are making progress. But just becasue a law is passed doesn’t mean that you have immediate improvements. And until every school in the nation and every student attending takes the same standardized tests we will really never know exactly where South Carolina ranks. When your trying something new or your boss ask you to do something a different way, or you ask someone you supervise to change how they do a task- do they do it perfectly the first time or even the second?
And we are adults. So remember children come from all walks of life and from various levels of intelligence and it takes time to change.
What this state needs is doers without political motives not complainers. Get out and reach out to a child who needs an encourager and supporter of their education. It will make our State a better place for all of us.
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