Good morning, Duncan!
What has happened to California's public schools is complex, and I do not remember all the details since some of this occurred a long time ago. My understanding is that the passage of Proposition 13 was more crucial in reducing spending than the decision by the state's courts to equalize school spending between local districts, but I am not absolutely sure.
Logically, dividing up the total amount of revenue available for school spending in a different, arguably more equitable way would not reduce the yearly spending per student in California, but indeed this figure has dropped dramatically, and as I said, we are now 49th among the states. You have to realize that California is a very rich place, overall, with the world's twelfth largest economy, and that comparatively the 50th lowest state in educational spending, Mississippi, is a very poor state, to fully understand the irony here.
I think the causes of falling test scores in California students are complicated, but I would certainly argue that one of them is that every day we send California students the message that education is not very important, or a very high priority, by the way we maintain our schools in California. While extremely gifted students from very supportive homes will always probably do well, there is a huge block of students in the middle whose success in school is affected by the school experience itself, and when there are not enough supplies, or books, and the physical plant is extremely run down, it is unreasonable to hope that all students will succeed as well as they would in a more nurturing, clean, optimal setting. It just so happens that there is a poignant article about this very subject in today's San Francisco Chronicle:
sfgate.com
As a libertarian, what are your views on public education, Duncan? |
