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one needs to point a finger- it should be at our legislature who has not had the courage to address the complicated and out of date school funding forumla for SC.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.

http://media.www.tigertownobserver.com/media/storage/paper1123/news/2008/03/04/NewsAndOpinion/Clemson.Lawsuit.Update-3251057.shtml#5

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.

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.