[Leica] Re: Subsidies to private schools

[Ken Wilcox <klw.51@comcast.net>]

Well Larry, I didn't quibble about the pay amount you mentioned 
because this varies widely from state to state. The national average 
is about $43,000. When I retired two years ago my pay was nowhere 
near what you mentioned, and Michigan is one of the higher paid 
states. As far as that generous pension, mine is a whole $24,000.

Ken Wilcox

At 3:10 PM -0400 9/15/03, LRZeitlin@aol.com wrote:
>In a message dated 9/15/03 12:44:31 PM, klw.51@comcast.net writes:
>
><< In my state (Michigan) schools are paid per student enrolled, and
>most of the money comes from the state. Therefore students lost to
>vouchers or private schools by any means takes money directly from
>the public school. As you said the private schools do cheery pick and
>often they are only K-6 or K-8 schools, leaving the the more
>expensive 9-12 students to the public schools.
>
>Your statement about teacher salaries is VERY misleading. Most
>teachers I know spend a great dceal more than 6 hours on the job.
>Grading papers, planning lessons, filling out misc. paperwork and
>dealing with parents takes many more hours. Most teachers that I know
>also spend The 2 summer months working on curriculum committees and
>attending school to enhance their skills. >>
>
>You have made part of my point. It is the State and local communities that
>decide how funds are allocated to public education, not the Federal 
>government.
>The funds generally come from three sources, property taxes, the state general
>revenue fund raised by income and use taxes, and, recently, statewide
>lotteries. Michigan is to be complimented on funding public 
>education largely out of
>general revenues since the tax load is spread more evenly. Still, those taxes
>are paid for life by parents whose children attend both public and private
>schools. Other states, including my own, New York, rely on property 
>taxes as the
>primary source of revenue. The state suppliments these taxes on a per pupil
>basis to equalize expenditure between richer and poorer communities, but these
>state payments amount to less than 25% of the budget of even the poorer
>districts. Some affluent districts receive no state aid at all.
>
>I have never heard of a state or school district authorizing a voucher of
>more than $1000 per pupil to assist private education. There may 
>well be one, but
>not near my district. The per pupil cost of education in my district is close
>to $12,000 a year, the majority paid for by property taxes. This is half the
>cost of tuition in an Ivy League university and a good deal more than the
>tuition in most state colleges. It is also more than the tuition at 
>most private
>secondary schools and about triple that of tuition in parochial schools. Logic
>says that it would be more economical to close the public education system
>down and sell off the properties, using education funding to pay the 
>tuition of
>all students in the private school of their choice. But of course the NEA and
>the AFT would condemn the practice as leading to the collapse of Western
>civilization.
>
>As far as teacher's salaries, I notice you didn't quibble about the amount,
>just the working hours. Teacher's pay and benefits have escalated dramatically
>since the dark days of the '50s. In addition to long paid vacations, teachers
>get full medical benefits and very generous state secured retirement programs.
>Most also have job tenure, essentially meaning that they cannot get fired
>unless they sexually assault their colleagues at high noon in the town square.
>Removing a tenured teacher for cause in my state takes an average of 
>three years
>of litigation and costs a school district an average of $500,000 in fees and
>settlements. Admittedly some teachers work more than six hours a day and some
>get drunk at lunch. There are good and bad eggs in every profession. Summer
>training is laudable but additional educational degrees are usually 
>compensated
>by salary increases.
>
>I spent 32 years in the bowels of the education system, both secondary and
>university level and know whereof I speak. But I used a Leica to 
>photograph all
>school events so that makes me a good person.
>
>Larry Z
>--
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Ken Wilcox 
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klw.51 at comcast.net                                           or 
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