[quote=Eugene][quote=DWCAP]
Ok, I am not gonna say I know how to fix anything. I have been mulling what TG said earlier for a day or two now, and still have not made up my mind on alot of stuff. But the above comment doesnt mix well with SOME of the things I have been reading. The link below shows CA teachers at 120% of the national average, and certainly the highest in the west. I get the feeling that this is a data set that is highly dependent upon the standard being compared to for relivance to ones argument.
(full disclosure, this only goes from 00-04, maybe everyone else just passed Ca teachers up? Gotta keep reading)
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On the other hand, back in 2004, CA K-12 spending per pupil was ranked #29 in the nation, below national average. Top 3 were NJ, NY, CT. Three lowest-paying states were Idaho, Arizona, Utah (who needs teachers when you have preachers?)
Apparently, CA spends almost as much on teacher salaries as NY and CT (to be expected, considering our cost of living…) but skimps on everything else.
per student can be a very misleading indicator. Fixed costs can really change when you start splitting them among students. I mean, what is the real cost to a principal when the average class rises from 20 to 25? I have to believe very little, though that is a 25% increase in total students. The cost of the classroom, the cost of the teacher, the cost of the electricity to light the room are exactly the same. Maybe a small change for increased desks, materials, and subsidized lunches in certain school districts, but you can cut most costs alot more ways.
Or to put it another way,
I once took a class in AP physics that had a grand total of 9 students in it. I also took AP math and AP history, and both had ~20 students. The cost to offer that AP physics class in per students spending was obviously much higher than the math or history classes, but I doubt it actually cost 1 dollar more in an actual accounting sense than the other ones.
Not saying there isnt a problem. I am saying I question your choice of stat to use. I dont think per pupil spending is always the best, becuase it can be manupliated too easily.
