The S.F. Examiner has a front-page article today that revisits the school budget trends and their causes. Reporter Mike Aldax begins with
For public schools in San Mateo County — an economically diverse region where the richest and poorest cities often share a border — the recession has created two main characters: The have-nots and the have-less.
No matter where your child is being educated on the Peninsula — whether at the most- or least-funded school — you’re getting less than you would expect.
Of the county’s 23 school districts, about a dozen — many of those in wealthier areas — rely most heavily upon local property taxes to pay for teachers and classroom supplies, a source that has plummeted in most cases due to the housing crisis and related factors.
Also in today's Examiner, a guest columnist named Josh Barro of the Manhattan Institute notes his recent report that
scrutinizes the financial statements of 59 pension plans covering most of the teachers in the United States. We applied private-sctor-style standardds to their estimatew of future liabilities, and adjusted their asset values to fully reflect the drop in stock prices the past two years.
The results aren't prettty. Applying more realistic standards, these plans are $933 billion short of the assets needed to cover their promises to retirees, or more than $18,000 per public school pupil.
On the bright side, the BHS Panther Postscripts alumni publication that just came out carries a note from Principal Chris Holleran that notes
Some modernization projects are wrapping up including the cafeteria, gym lobby, and small gym. The next projects include a new vocational tech/art building and renovation of the theatre, larget gym, and locker rooms.
So, do B'game parents feel that "you are getting less than you would expect" as Mike Aldax writes?
http://burlingame.patch.com/articles/school-board-finds-more-funds-bring-back-programs-2
Posted by: Account Deleted | May 27, 2011 at 06:36 AM