the 65% solution

[charrison]

linkage

- Patrick Byrne, a 42-year-old bear of a man who bristles with ideas that have made him rich and restless, has an idea that can provide a new desktop computer for every student in America without costing taxpayers a new nickel. Or it could provide 300,000 new $40,000-a-year teachers without any increase in taxes. His idea -- call it The 65 Percent Solution -- is politically delicious because it unites parents, taxpayers and teachers while, he hopes, sowing dissension in the ranks of the teachers unions, which he considers the principal institutional impediment to improving primary and secondary education.

The idea, which will face its first referendum in Arizona, is to require that 65 percent of every school district's education operational budget be spent on classroom instruction. On, that is, teachers and pupils, not bureaucracy.

Nationally, 61.5 percent of education operational budgets reach the classrooms. Why make a fuss about 3.5 percent? Because it amounts to $13 billion. Only four states (Utah, Tennessee, New York, Maine) spend at least 65 percent of their budgets in classrooms. Fifteen states spend less than 60 percent. The worst jurisdiction -- Washington, D.C., of course -- spends less than 50 percent.

Under the 65 percent rule, Arizona, which spends 56.8 percent in classrooms, could use its $451 million transfer to classrooms to buy 1.5 million computers or to hire 11,275 teachers. California (61.7 percent) could use its $1.5 billion transfer to buy 5 million computers or to hire 37,500 teachers. Illinois (59.5 percent) would transfer $906 million to classrooms (3 million computers or 22,650 new teachers). To see how much money would flow into your state's classrooms, go to firstclasseducation.org.

Byrne, who lives in Utah and has made a bundle in various business ventures, was once advised by Warren Buffett to pretend he is a batter at the plate with no one calling balls and strikes, so he can wait for a perfect pitch -- a perfect idea. The 65 Percent Solution is perfect because it wins 80-plus percent support in polls, and torments people Byrne thinks should be tormented.

I had no idea that much money wasted by the school administration. Can any argue with just spending a few percent less on admin costs?

 

[Stunt]

How about the 100% rule , all money going to the classroom.
What sorts of extra things do states such as Arizona use their money on if it's not teachers or classroom equipment.
I support the idea btw.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Stunt
How about the 100% rule , all money going to the classroom.
What sorts of extra things do states such as Arizona use their money on if it's not teachers or classroom equipment.
I support the idea btw.

General waste and fraud is my guess. The next highschool that is going to built in my district is going to be on the order of $80M. The cost per square foot is more than houses in rich part of the city(where Tim Duncan and others Spurs live).

Meanwhile the district is complaining about not having enough money...

 

[NJDevil]

wow, i like it

 

[Tab]

Some of the technology costs these days are purely overrated. A notebook and a Mechnical Pencil and sometimes a calculator is all you will ever need.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Tabb
Some of the technology costs these days are purely overrated. A notebook and a Mechnical Pencil and sometimes a calculator is all you will ever need.

Almost every high school subject could be done with those tools.

 

[Stunt]

The highest costs are infrastructure, teachers and material (textbooks).
Go look at how much text publishers get...staggering.

 

[charrison]

Originally posted by: Stunt
The highest costs are infrastructure, teachers and material (textbooks).
Go look at how much text publishers get...staggering.

YEs, but text dont have to be purchases frequently and should the building cost more than a luxary home per square foot?

Why must every school building be different, requiring its on architects and engineering plans?

 

[fornax]

I think that even 65% is too little. Many school districts have staggering bureaucracy, while the teachers starve. Starting salary for teachers in AZ is $28,000 (true, they do get decent benefits). This is barely a living wage. While higher salaries are not the complete solution, they are the beginning.

And don't start me on the topic of textbooks: they're both expensive and so full of errors it's astonishing. In my area (physics and mathematics) I've seen such awful textbooks (especially in physics) that I can't beleive any one has actually read them.

 

[Stunt]

I totally agree.
Make it a big concrete building with windows, good insulation, and desks.
Done and done

 

[ReiAyanami]

the textbook factor only applies to college students. highschool students get to benefit from 20yr old textbooks that discuss the evils of the USSR...

back in highschool we had shop teacher that was promoted to Vice Principal (ironically under the Dilbert Principle)

that is he was a drunk so to prevent parents from suing the school or being ratted in the news with a drunk teacher the school decided to place him where he could do no harm. don't know if his pay goes up too.

 

[JavaMomma]

Yeah there is alot of wasted money in the school system. I have a friend that works as a tech at the local school district. The tech guys got themselves $10,000 IBM laptops. They were happy but what a waste. They were like "...but man it has bluetooth!"

 

[Tab]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Tabb
Some of the technology costs these days are purely overrated. A notebook and a Mechnical Pencil and sometimes a calculator is all you will ever need.

Almost every high school subject could be done with those tools.

I absolutely agree as well, we don't need huge computer labs in schools. 99.9% of the student body has a functional computer, internet access, word processor and a printer at home. I had a buisness tech class that was maybe 30 mins long and we used the Macromedia Suite for 1 Semester. It's completele crap, we barley even touched the surface. All of these "elective" class astronomically drive up high school expenses and are rarely used.

Fargo Public School's only old books are our mathmatical and econ section. I've already tested in to the level I need to be math wise for college, so it seems like that book is working. The Econ book is a peice of sh1t, fun to read but extremely old.

 

[ntdz]

This is why throwing money to education does NOT solve the problem. It just exacerbates the problem and money just gets wasted. The waste of the government just makes me sick, I wish they could get their acts together. It won't ever happen though without accoutability, and the government just isn't accountable to anyone.

 

[imported_tss4]

This is a great idea and is something that shuld be pushed forward. Its a nice way to counter the growth of beaucracy in the schools. I also agree that having more computers is a waste. What good is a state of the art computer to a kid when they don't understand the algebra, geometry, calc, english lit, etc. If they do push this, they should use the money for more teachers. Reducing class sizes does help.

 

[Kibbo]

Tabb, do you really think that 99.9% of all American households have computers with internet access?

When's the last time you stepped out of the suburbs?

Where does bussing count in this system? I can see that being a problem in rural areas. What about capital costs? I can see that being a problem in older inner-city districts, and in newer, growing suburban areas.

 

[Kipper]

Originally posted by: charrison

Originally posted by: Tabb
Some of the technology costs these days are purely overrated. A notebook and a Mechnical Pencil and sometimes a calculator is all you will ever need.

Almost every high school subject could be done with those tools.

Biology labs? Chemistry labs? PHYSICS labs? This all requires expensive technology.

In other notes, has anybody ever seen a government/education IT catalog? The prices they pay are ridiculous. Individual consumers can pay less. No wonder people waste so much money...

I saw listings asking $55 for a PS/2 keyboard and mouse.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Accounting for costs and competivie bids for general budget is needed.

As others stated, building and land purchases need to have oversight.

Many times they will state that new buildings are needed, because the cost of refurbishing an old one is not cost effective;

That may be, but either swap the building (at fair market value) or raxe it rather than buying new land.

Citizen oversight with common sense and accountability needs to exist.

To many school departments act as their own fiefdoms; granted that power by the politicians.

 

[halik]

Who came up with the idea that more money = better education?
You can throw heaps of cash at public education, but untill you change the mindset that is created in public schools, it wont get you anywhere. Why do think kids don't try, when you reinforce the idea that goood at math/science/ * = nerdy and playing sports = good? I mean public schools create a de facto disincentive to succeed in academics and yet people blame teachers/ funding / blah for the shortcomings?

<- european that went thru american highschool