California Schools don't have enough money?
 

Why the opposition to cutting the bearacracy?

And as an aside, I did just fine in a public school with 35+ per teacher.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

I love cutting beaurocracy in schools. I personally think we should redefine teachers roles to include most of the tasks administrators currently do - this is, indeed, what most private schools do. They also use teacher's skills outside their main area of expertise, by having them coach on the side, for example. All good things to do.

But, students learn best with a low student/teacher ratio. Where did you have a 35:1 student/teacher ratio? Remember, you count all the teachers in areas like art, music and language in calculating the ratio -- so the class size is usually about 1.2 to 1.25 times the ratio.

Solving the budget problems by warehousing kids in huge classes is the gist of McClintock's numbers -- even if his rhetoric is focused on the administrators.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

Does that 35+ factor in the sizes of the classes that were special ed? Because they are averaging 36 students per teacher, which means that for every class you have with only 20 students per teacher, you need to have another that is 52 students per teacher -- or two classes of 44 students per teacher, etc.

With all these No Child Left Behind things, targeted funding, reporting requirements, etc. you need a bureacracy just to keep up with the compliance functions. Also costing money: reporting to the school board and/or parents on why there are or are not team sports. Funding litigation, settlements and awards for the many lawsuits parents bring because Johnny wasn't allowed to be on the team/Johnny was pressured to be on a team.

But in a perfect world, sure, no bureacracy. No gov't. Information costs don't exist. Whatever.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

At least we can fire all the people in the district finance office -- McClintock's taken care of all the budgetting issues, and if any new problems come up, I'm sure he'll wave his wand.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

LAUSD baby. I'm counting the ratio by the number of students in each of my classes.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

Their special ed classes were 36 students per teacher? Christ, no wonder the schools suck.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

I don't hear anyone in favor of bureaucracy. But I also don't hear any solutions that sound like good ways to cut it. What do those bureaucrats do? If bilmore is saying that they're required by federal law, then you can't just cut it. If locally elected school boards naturally tend to self-serving inefficiency, then we need a more robust solution.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

Lucky for you those posh private schools don't have to deal with that problem.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

I don't know about all schools, but I'm very familiar with LA, having gone to them and having a mother that has taught in them for 30+ years. With LA, the main problem in sheer size. I think one way to start would be to break up the large districts and return more control and accountability to the locals.

Heh
 

Me neither, when the immigration is Mexican, South and Central American and other God-Fearing people who share the American Dream through hard work and not "certain other groups" who diss our American lifestyle. Or lazy, chain-smoking Europeans who make fun of our SUVs and our Fats.

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

Whiff. I'm pretty sure Fringey's school had special ed.

You have to hand it to the Catholics.......
 

My recollection is that Catholic schools spend $6,000 per pupil for their school, and that is from one hell of a large bureacracy. If we could just model our system on theirs (without all the molesting and slaps with the rulers).

You have to hand it to the Catholics.......
 

Is that a legitimate figure? I always assumed the tuitions were heavily subsidized in a variety of ways. In addition, how do they account for common shares? E.g., if a nun teaches, is her housing/food part of the school spending or the church's general spending?

California Schools don't have enough money?
 

I'm thinking local accountability isn't actually working to rein in administrative costs.