My three kids were all very well served by public schools. You and I have PM’d about their academic trajectories.Public school teachers taught, motovated and recognized me far more than anyone else in my life.
Public school saved my life.
But, I think it’s important to recognize that I chose the town in which we lived for its schools.
A great high school attracts good teachers, and attracts parents who care about their children’s education, and it becomes a positive feedback loop. This was the case for my children.
Sadly, the converse is true, where poor high schools lose good teachers, and parents that care pull their children out, and as a result, many public schools are caught in a negative feedback loop. This is, unfortunately, the case for many children.
The town in which I live now, Virginia Beach, spends about a billion dollars a year on education. It’s a lot of money. The schools are good, some are better than others, and the student body is quite diverse. About 70,000 students. About 5,000 teachers. But a shocking number of very highly paid administrators.
While the district as a whole does a good job, the overhead is expensive, and frankly, wasteful. Now that we hit a Billion, for one city, voters are starting to pay attention. Among them, me. I’ve been to school board meetings, have a friend on the board, and support particular candidates for the school board.
I’m a fan of public schools. I’m not a fan of the fraud, waste, and abuse of the taxpayer, that happens in the top layer of public school administration.