Video: Rhee Tries To Calm The Waters

 

She and other reformers are being vilified says Rhee in this Gavin Newsom segment, and she doesn't believe that the teachers unions are particularly the problem blocking better schools.  But she also claims that only about half of the money spent on education is going to the classroom, which may not be accurate and is a familiar Republican attack from the 1990s.  

Comments

[Liam]

This California Budget Project analysis completely refutes Rhee's contention that only half of education spending reaches the classroom. It is more like two thirds, in California anyway.

http://californiabudgetbites.org/2010/05/07/school-dollars-%E2%80%9Creaching-the-classroom%E2%80%9D-what-are-the-facts/

A common measure for defining K-12 spending reflects schools’ day-to-day operational expenses. According to the federal government’s National Center for Education Statistics, 1 percent of the dollars California spends on the day-to-day operations of its schools goes toward general administration, which is less than half of what the rest of the United States spends. California spends two-thirds (66.7 percent) of its dollars on classroom instruction and 28.5 percent on “student services,” which includes home-to-school transportation, keeping classrooms clean and safe, and school principals’ and vice principals’ salaries. Debates about budget priorities are fair game, but they should be rooted in the facts, not myths.

[Alexander Russo]

MT @mikephillips1: @m_rhee #s are right: $286B of $563B (51%) goes to classroom, per @usedgov F-33 survey

[Sarah]

Republicans do seem to enjoy that attack. There is evidence this time supporting her claims at least.

[Doug]

OK lets have a discussion on the percentage test scores ought to count in evaluating teachers. The correct answer is 0%.

Next question?

[Doug]

Why is it that America just plain cannot look at the successful nations like Finland, Korea, Canada Singapore and do what they do?

The answer is that they got to the top of the world by building powerful public education systems and investing in teachers while keeping poverty much lower.

The American right does not want to hear that solution. Nobody can make a buck from privatization and poverty elimination raises taxes.