Public Education – Feeding the Beast

When will it end? How much is enough?

Once again, State Education has its hands in our pockets. Like drilling a well, they won’t stop even when they do hit the ‘gusher‘ of public funding. As a youngster, I was taught that taking something from someone against their will is wrong! Asking for money with no promise of reward, or lies of rewards that will never be received, is wrong! They wait like bandits for the right time to swoop down and take that which is not theirs.

If we don’t cry “Ouch!” it’s easier for them to repeat their robbery. With absolutely no accountability or responsibility they seemingly have an open checkbook on our accounts. When will we say, “Enough!“?

Of Senator Rice: Idaho Senator Rice is the ‘Road Agent‘ serving the dark forces of Public Education. Under the guise of fairness and objectivity [when has any politician ever been fair or objective?] he has proposed increases through new legislation that will rob you blind.

On KIDO Radio in Boise on the morning of January 13, Idaho Senator Rice made it clear that he would raise the sales tax from 6% to 7% to fund public education, but with no assurance that the extra taxes won’t spill over onto the food tax as well!

From ‘Common Core‘ in primary and secondary schools to open communist indoctrination in our public universities, the beast is ready to receive more ill-gotten gains. Already, property taxes across Idaho have risen exponentially. It’s all to feed the beast.

Of Boise State: Far too much money is openly and shamelessly wasted in public education with such things as a $400,000 salary for the president of Boise State University [that’s more money than we pay the President of the United States]. Remember that even their supposedly self-supporting football program [another bottomless money pit] continually demands public funds. Yet another travesty in feeding the beast.

Boise State is a mere speck on the educational landscape, an insignificant school in all ways insofar as educational standards and relevance are concerned. Despite the relatively small size and irrelevance, this school manages an inexcusably inefficient budget, spending over 68% of its entire budget on administration! Yep, a bunch of folks polishing seats in the office and suckling from the teat of Idaho taxpayers!

Public Primary and Secondary Education:

After robbing property owners and taxpayers at large, Idaho schools still rank #43 in the nation. This gleaned from a U.S. News Education Survey for 2019. LINK

Where we can improve: How about teacher qualifications and salaries? With our teachers more concerned about indoctrination than the education of their students, a re-boot is in order. Teachers are hired to educate, not indoctrinate, and all teachers need to be held accountable in this area.

Administrators have over-populated the system to the tune of around 60% of respective school budgets at large. Streamline management, discharge unnecessary personnel, and review administrative costs with a magnifying glass and from an independent audit.

State Reading and Math scores are acceptable, rating at or only slightly below the national average. For our money, we’re getting very little. LINK

Far too much is spent on building and maintaining schools, especially high schools. The same can be said for state universities. LINK

We are victims of a failed public education machine. Every year they ‘require‘ and demand more and more money. Already, education funding eclipses all other state funding combined. It is the elephant in the room, and must be dealt with ASAP!

What we can do:

• Build facilities that are geared toward reading, writing, mathematics, civics, American History, World History, 1 or 2 [at most] foreign language classes, student physical education, and in-school sports. [Inter-School Sports need to pay their own way. A ban needs to be implemented on the construction of elaborate stadiums, running tracks, and swimming pools, and even television studios and music halls.
• Administration costs must be slashed. When 70% of a university’s cost is in administration there’s something drastically wrong and jobs need to be cut, systems streamlined, and budgets closely watched through an independent audit.
• A system of ‘outcome-based‘ education and merit must be connected to teacher salaries. A cap on salaries of all administrative personnel and teachers is also critical.

New proposals to raise the sales tax for funding of education are ludicrous. If we, the people, will not speak up in email, phone calls, letters, and at the voting booth, we are doomed to an education system which is, at its very heart, corrupt, inefficient, and dishonest. As long as they have the power to put their hands in our pockets, we will lose.