Gov. Romney & the Enterprise
January 20, 2005
I find it interesting to read that others also bring forward the idea that money is not the solution to education.
From Governor Romney's State of the Commonwealth Address (January 13, 2005):
"Ten years ago, it was felt that if we provided equal funding for urban schools, the disparity would just disappear. It has not. Yet there will be some who will simply cry for even more money. But we know money alone is not the answer. In fact, the school district that spends the most money per student in the entire state scores in the bottom ten percent on the MCAS exam."
From the Enterprise Editorial (January 18, 2005):
"Romney's critics say nothing will happen unless cash - and lots of it - is pumped into education. But that is exactly what happended under the original Education Reform Act in 1993 - and schools did not improve significantly. So where did all the money go? And where would the new money go? The critics - Romney's political opponents and the unions - have no answers. Just give us the money and don't ask so many questions, they say."
What so many in the public desire is accountability for THEIR money. It is so easy for many - especially school committees - to forget that they are committing taxpayer dollars to the situation. Oh, how easy to sign a new contract for three years, with raises and new step levels, without a concern about the ability of the taxpayers to fund the largesse.
Teachers, like any profession, deserve to make a living. But can one person tell me how the new "Super 20 Step" will do anything to improve the education of students? (This provides an additional $1000 to any teacher with at least 20 years teaching.) If 75 teachers qualify, then that is an additional $75,000 in expenses for the School System. How does that compare to two ADDITIONAL teachers that could be added to the System?
Money can improve a situation. However, this is only so if there are good choices made with the money. If not, then all we are doing is throwing money at a problem.
And remember... "don't ask so many questions".
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