Re: Question 1 - Funding Model

Wurman's comments are exactly correct.  At $7000 per student and 30 students, the class would command the equivalent of $210,000. And yet teachers have to beg to get money to buy good books for classroom libraries.  I was told yesterday by a principal with pride about how teachers received $100-200 for books.  Teachers yesterday with disgust told me about how they had received $100 for all suppies in the class for the year. 

Let's say a district receives $210,000 for each class of 30 in tax money.  Why couldn't the district give the teacher $70,000 in wages, hire an instructional monitor for 3000 a year, charge $20,000 for rent, busses and cafeteria, and library, give the teacher $10,000 for instructional supplies and return half the 210,000 to the public.  The rest is not necessary.


For $210,000 I could build a new structure, fill it with the best  supplies, hire an additional teacher, and burn it down at the end of the year and start over the next year.  Cut the waste and give the money to the teachers.