Los Angeles approves plan to turn over 250 public schools to private operators

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

In a startling acknowledgment that the Los Angeles school system cannot improve enough schools on its own, the city Board of Education approved a plan Tuesday that could turn over 250 campuses to ... outside operators.

The plan, approved on a 6-1 vote, gives Supt. Ramon C. Cortines the power to recommend the best option to run some of the worst-performing schools in the city.

...

District officials and others have said their ability to achieve more than incremental progress is hindered by the powerful teachers union, whose contract makes it nearly impossible to fire ineffective tenured teachers.

...

No union endorsed the resolution.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-la...0,4203620.story

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I spend most of grades K-12 in the Los Angeles Unified School District. It was never top notch, but it was adequate. Last time I drove by my old schools, they were either boarded up, or in disrepair. Anything but the status quo has to be an improvement.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Last time I drove by my old schools, they were either boarded up, or in disrepair.

[HAL 9000 96]

Some communities are better served by razing old schools and opening up new public institutions. Other areas are better served by a mix of charter public and regular public schools. Blank checks to charters at the expense of existing and operating public schools is a recipe for keeping the students in the regular public schools further from significant gains in achievement.

Private schools can also operate in tandem with public schools, but vouchers only work in favor of the society if the system in place for can also improve the achievement of the public locations that lose public funds as a result of losing students to private institutions.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

My old schools were in the outlying, at one time more affluent, area of Los Angeles, Woodland Hills. Sadly, many middle and upper class families have moved out of the city, and into Los Angeles County School Districts, which are far superior.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

My old schools were in the outlying, at one time more affluent, area of Los Angeles, Woodland Hills. Sadly, many middle and upper class families have moved out of the city, and into Los Angeles County School Districts, which are far superior.

The same has happened in Jersey. Towns like Elizabeth, for example, were once where the wealthiest lived. Today, not so much.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

Public schools in more affluent areas are much better maintained and equipt than ones in poorer neighborhoods. Funds for schools across the state should be appropriated by the number of students, not which neighborhood they are in. That's really the crux of the problem.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

Public schools in more affluent areas are much better maintained and equipt than ones in poorer neighborhoods. Funds for schools across the state should be appropriated by the number of students, not which neighborhood they are in. That's really the crux of the problem.

Urban districts in NJ get a lot more money than suburban districts do and yet perform at levels way below those in suburban districts.

So no - funds are not the crux of the problem.

[Heracles 417]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

Public schools in more affluent areas are much better maintained and equipt than ones in poorer neighborhoods. Funds for schools across the state should be appropriated by the number of students, not which neighborhood they are in. That's really the crux of the problem.

Urban districts in NJ get a lot more money than suburban districts do and yet perform at levels way below those in suburban districts.

So no - funds are not the crux of the problem.

Prince Georges county, MD = poorest area in DC.

Loudon County, VA = Highest earning households in the US

Prince Georges County spends about $13K per student

Loudon County spends about $10K per student.

One guess who is the worst performer in the area.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

Public schools in more affluent areas are much better maintained and equipt than ones in poorer neighborhoods. Funds for schools across the state should be appropriated by the number of students, not which neighborhood they are in. That's really the crux of the problem.

Urban districts in NJ get a lot more money than suburban districts do and yet perform at levels way below those in suburban districts.

So no - funds are not the crux of the problem.

Per student? I'd like to see the stats. Just in terms of the conditions of the schools - there are stark differences. So either the urban schools are simply not spending all that extra money on upkeep and new construction, or maybe they just don't have the amount of funds that schools in more affluent neighborhoods have?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

Public schools in more affluent areas are much better maintained and equipt than ones in poorer neighborhoods. Funds for schools across the state should be appropriated by the number of students, not which neighborhood they are in. That's really the crux of the problem.

Urban districts in NJ get a lot more money than suburban districts do and yet perform at levels way below those in suburban districts.

So no - funds are not the crux of the problem.

Prince Georges county, MD = poorest area in DC.

Loudon County, VA = Highest earning households in the US

Prince Georges County spends about $13K per student

Loudon County spends about $10K per student.

One guess who is the worst performer in the area.

Can I have two guesses?

Failing urban public schools should be turned into boarding schools. They can't play the fool after school if they're still at school!!

Public schools in more affluent areas are much better maintained and equipt than ones in poorer neighborhoods. Funds for schools across the state should be appropriated by the number of students, not which neighborhood they are in. That's really the crux of the problem.

Urban districts in NJ get a lot more money than suburban districts do and yet perform at levels way below those in suburban districts.

So no - funds are not the crux of the problem.

Per student? I'd like to see the stats. Just in terms of the conditions of the schools - there are stark differences. So either the urban schools are simply not spending all that extra money on upkeep and new construction, or maybe they just don't have the amount of funds that schools in more affluent neighborhoods have?

Yes, per student. Take my word for it for now, stats will have to wait. Urban schools are in better condition here too. Newer buildings, top notch security systems. Heck Newark runs their HR on PeopleSoft which is hella expensive. New Jersey takes money from suburban taxpayers and funnels them into urban areas. It's been a total failure.

Newer buildings do not equal better students

[one...two...tree 2,762]

31% of all students in the United States are concentrated in 1.5% of urban schools with total per person revenues that are only 89% of the average total pupil revenue.

......

When considering fairness of the overall public education allocation system this is considered an equity issue. “Achieving equality is not a simple matter of allocating equal dollars per students; expenditures need to be adjusted to reflect variations in the needs of students and the cost of purchasing educational resources in different areas” (Krantzler et al, 1997). Urban schools have unique characteristics that put them at risk for funding inequalities. First and foremost, urban schools are located in major cities and therefore the cost of living in these areas is much higher then suburban and rural areas. Also, because of the extreme diversity of students, students have many needs that must be dealt with such as poverty, limited English proficiency and student mobility (Krantzler et al, 1997).

Children living in urban areas are much more likely to be living in poverty than children in other types of communities. In 1990, 20% of children nationwide were living in poverty. However, 30% of children living in urban areas lived in poverty, compared with only 13% of those in suburbs and 22% of those living in rural areas (Krantzler et al, 1997). A school in which more than 40% of the students qualify for reduced-price lunches or free lunch is considered a school with a high concentration of poverty. Approximately, 40% of urban students attend schools with high poverty concentrations. This is a large number compared to the 10% of suburban students and 25% of rural students who attend such schools (Reyes et al, 2004).Poverty comprises the “600 pound gorilla” that most affects American education today (Berliner, 2005). The concentration of poverty in a school is a major factor associated with student academic achievement. In fact, according to Krantzler et al (1997), the “relationship between school poverty concentrations and school academic achievement averages is stronger than the relationship between individual family poverty and individual student achievement.”

http://sitemaker.umich.edu/rosman.356/funding_

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Ok, the data is easier to find than I thought.

Newark. POS District. Overrun by gangs. Doesn't get much worse than this. Spending per pupil is $18,580. State average is $12,776.

Bernards. Very wealthy. High achieving. Blue Ribbon and all that jazz. Spending per pupil is $11,082.

Source: http://php.app.com/rc_finances_all/search.php

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Ok, the data is easier to find than I thought.

Newark. POS District. Overrun by gangs. Doesn't get much worse than this. Spending per pupil is $18,580. State average is $12,776.

Bernards. Very wealthy. High achieving. Blue Ribbon and all that jazz. Spending per pupil is $11,082.

Source: http://php.app.com/rc_finances_all/search.php

Well, just from what I seen around LA, the inner city schools are a stark contrast to the schools where I live in OC. I know that is anecdotal, but I've also read in the local papers about how many of the schools are literally falling apart due to lack of sufficient funds. It appears that it is more complicated problem than just about funding, but funding does play a factor.