[Vision2020] RE:_[Vision2020]_Re:_[Vision2020]_Idaho Public Schools 15-year Trends
Donovan Arnold
donovanarnold@hotmail.com
Thu, 08 May 2003 23:46:57 -0700
An analogy to help those that don't understand the current educational
funding problem:
Imagine a giant hole in the ground that is quickly filling with water. Image
that there are children in that hole. Now, imagine that there has always
been children in that hole for generations. During all the generations
previous the water in that hole has been pumped out by a pump that is
capable of pumping about 15 gallons an hour. This has always been adequate.
Now, lets suppose that for whatever reason that more water is coming into
the hole, so you go buy a bigger pump. Say you are now pumping 20 gallons a
water, however, the water level continues to get higher and higher, so you
go and buy another pump that pumps 25 gallons of water an hour. However, the
water level still gets higher. Then somebody says, "Lets stop spending money
on water pumps, it obviously is not helping, the water level keeps getting
higher regardless of how big of a pump we buy." So the entire community
agrees and continues to only pump at 25 gallons of water an hour. What do
you think happened to the children?
The same thing applies to the educational system. The costs, for whatever
reason, to educate are increasing at phenomenal rates. The cost of educating
one child has risen much faster then the rate of inflation which is what
that graphs show. I understand this, every educator and student understands
this. So if we are to stop paying the increase the children will not be
educated.
Fixing the exponential cost of education, or plugging the hole so to speak,
it the ideal solution. However, that would require social changes in our
society that are not within the grasp of educators to change.
With a divorce rate of over 50%, the cost of living being more, lawsuits,
the diagnoses of medical and emotional problems as well as the cost of
treating or curing them, computers being introduced, making building and
facilities safe and ADA compliant and numerous other factors are what is
causing huge increases in costs of education per child to occur.
I know it sucks that we have to spend all this money. When we cut corners
with our families it has to be made up somewhere, and this is where.
However, making the argument that putting more money into the educational
system is not helping is NOT true, it is very helpful! It just seems that
way because the extra amount is not equal to the amount it is increasing to
educate the child.
Anyone that does not believe this, when you sell you house, add the
inflation rate of 3.5% per year on top of what you paid for it, then add 5%
and see if that is what you are willing to sell your house for? I really
doubt it because your house has increased in value beyond that of regular
inflation. Same occurs in education.
I can create a statistically accurate chart illustrating how the increase in
ice cream sales and rape increase every year at the same time and at the
same rate . I can JUMP to the assumption that ice cream causes people to
rape, and ban the sale of ice cream. OR I can think about the problem and
say maybe the summer causes heat which means people come outside eat more
ice cream socialize, meet new people and get raped. Humm, or I can listen to
people that say "the bottom line is we keep pumping more ice cream and over
the last 15 years rape has gone up, we must stop pumping ice cream."
The cost of educating a child is increasing at about 3 times the rate of
overall inflation. Please don't punish the children because of it. Punish
the adults that are causing the problem.
Thanks!
Donovan Arnold
>From: John Harrell <johnbharrell@yahoo.com>
>To: thansen@moscow.com, Dale Courtney <dale@courtneys.us>,
>vision2020@moscow.com
>Subject: Re: [Vision2020]
>RE:_[Vision2020]_Re:_[Vision2020]_Idaho Public Schools 15-year Trends
>Date: Thu, 8 May 2003 22:07:20 -0700 (PDT)
>
>Appealing to your emotions is quite heart warming to us all,
>it shows that you base your actions on your feelings rather
>than your mind. This is very scary because it shows how easily
>you can be manipulated.
>
>The fact is, money has been pumped into the system at ever
>increasing rates for years, while education results have been
>going down. So throwing more money wont necessarily fix the
>problem. The history shows that more money doesnt increase
>educational *quality*.
>
>Cheers!
>John Harrell
>
>
>
>--- Tom Hansen <thansen@moscow.com> wrote:
> > Greetings Visionaires -
> >
> > While reading Mr. Courtney's response, below, I almost broke out into an
> > uncontrollable laugh until I realized that he actually feels that way.
> > Scary, isn't it?
> >
> > Our children, our future . . .
> >
> > Tom Hansen
> > Moscow, Idaho
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: vision2020-admin@moscow.com
>[mailto:vision2020-admin@moscow.com]On
> > > Behalf Of Dale Courtney
> > > Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2003 5:02 AM
> > > To: vision2020@moscow.com
> > > Subject: [Vision2020] Re: [Vision2020] Idaho Public Schools 15-year
> > > Trends
> > >
> > >
> > > Arnold wrote:
> > > > Thinking that if we strip our schools of teachers won't effect
> > > the quality
> > > > of the education a child is receiving is just fooling oneself
> > > so they can
> > > > sleep at night instead of realizing that they are screwing
> > > children out of
> > > > an education that the generation before them worked and slaved over
>to
> > > give
> > > > them when they were children in the public school system.
> > > >
> > > > Would it not be great if people thought, "How can I selflessly help
>my
> > > > community" Rather then "How can I come up a with a graph, chart, or
> > > > statistic I can use to justify my lack of sacrificing for
> > > others and spend
> > > > more time, energy, and wealth, on myself"
> > >
> > > Interesting how liberals *refuse* to interact with ideas but rush to
> > > judgment. Ah, the intolerance of the tolerant!
> > >
> > > The bottom line: government school spending *after taxes* has risen by
>80%
> > > *per child* in the last 15 years in the state of Idaho; and state test
> > > scores have continued to drop. Prove me wrong.
> > >
> > > *If* liberals really think that spending is the causal driver, then
>you
> > > would have seen test scores rising, not falling with more money.
> > >
> > > *Clearly*, if you think that money is the problem (that money drives
> > > achievement), then cutting the budget is the only solution.
> > >
> > > However, if you were to get your heads out of the sand, you'd see
> > > that money
> > > is *not* the problem here. However, I'm sure you'd rather discuss
> > > form over
> > > substance. How visionary of you.
> > >
> > > Best,
> > > Dale Courtney
> > > Moscow, Idaho
> > >
> > > _____________________________________________________
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> > >
> >
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