Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Two Approaches to Fixing Our Schools

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by

James A. Bacon
in

I’ve long argued on this blog that there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to many of the crucial issues facing Virginia today. But education does seem to be a topic where a glimmer of daylight appears between the two. With Democrats, the answer is simple: mo’ money. Republicans often chant the same mantra, but they occasionally deviate from the more-money-solves-all-problems orthodoxy.

Reflecting the differences in philosophy, here are two examples from two e-mails that I have received in the past couple of days. The first comes from Sen. R. Creigh Deeds, D-Hot Springs, who has submitted several bills and budget amendments relating to education. One bill, SB 267, stands out for creating an open-ended financial commitment. It would require that the average salary of a Virginia teacher be equal to or greater than the national average. Virginia, notes Deeds, currently ranks 31st nationally in teacher pay.

Gee, Mr. Deeds, while you’re at it, could you please submit a bill requiring Virginia writers and journalists be paid more?

Seriously, should the state be setting arbitrary minimums for teacher salaries, which vary widely according to local supply, demand and cost of living? If recruiting teachers is a problem for some localities, why not let them adjust compensation as they deem necessary? Does this do anything other than transfer money directly from taxpayers to teachers and reward the Virginia Education Association, a steadfast ally of the Democratic Party?

Another e-mail comes from Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, who supports the so-called “65% Solution,” as embodied in HB60 submitted by Jeffrey M. Frederick, R-Woodbridge. As Bolling explains, only 60 percent of Virginia’s educational expenditures on average make it to the classroom; the rest gets soaked up by administrative overhead. Frederick’s bill would set a goal for school systems to direct 65 percent of their educational dollars to the classroom. If they fall short, they would have to create a plan to increase instructional spending by 0.5 percentage points the following year.

Statewide, achieving the 65 percent standard would funnel an extra $400 million into higher teacher pay, smaller classrooms or other classroom priorities that schools boards selected.

The Deeds approach: Mo’ money, no accountability. Just open up your checkbook. The Frederick approach: Restructure top-heavy school administrations and spend more money where it counts. I know which approach I prefer. How about you?

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  1. Jim Wamsley Avatar
    Jim Wamsley

    Everyone, try something that works.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/20/AR2008012002339.html

  2. Larry Gross Avatar
    Larry Gross

    I’m not in favor.

    It’s like “mandating” that VDOT become “more efficient”.

    or.. WalMart decreeing that no more than 23.4% of it’s workforce could be management.

    decreeing the maximum number of school administrators is, in my mind, just as dumb as assuming that the only way to improve SOL scores is more money and more teachers.

    The degree of “flatness” in any organizational hierarchy is a legitimate issue and sometimes it can lead to changing the way that an organization does business but your guiding principle must be to accomplish your mission as a fundamental “dealbreaking” requirement.

    Take a look at what Circuit City did recently.. the virtual equivalent of turning a shotgun on yourself in the quest for “efficiency” and “cost-cutting”.

    I think we leave the organization issues to the organization but we hold their feet to the fire with Performance Standards that metrically measure their mission work products.

    i.e. graduation rates, proficiency levels, and cost-effectiveness – and actually the fewer the better – but the RIGHT ones.

    Private industry does dumb things too – but they are usually punished severely by their competition for dumb thing – which include BOTH waste .. AND arbitrary/inflexible ideas of how they should operate.

    With government organizations.. there is no “sunset” for agencies that fail their mission – because the very definition of many is as a “core service” that is necessary no matter how inefficient it might be.

    So, I understand the frustration.. but if I was going to support something along these lines, it would be annual audits done by APAC and JLARC with the following provision.

    APAC/JLARC recommendations MUST be implemented as is unless the agency can demonstrate that those recommendations will result in waste or inefficiencies.

    Both of these audit agencies do marvelous work in my view and their recommendations are ROUTINELY ignored by both the agency that is the subject of their audit AND our General Assembly reps.

    Virginia actually HAS an excellent function for examining cost effectiveness and efficiency.. we just ignore them much of the time.

    P.S.

    Warner/Kaine provided money that allowed school Divisions to obtain a free efficiency review of their organizations and I know of at least two School Divisions that accepted the offer… and the reports are useful beyond the subject schools because they did some peer/cohort comparisons.

    then of course we also have the Claire Luce study just done also.

  3. Anonymous Avatar
    Anonymous

    Sluuuurrrrrpppp!!!

    That’s the great sucking sound for more Fairfax County tax dollars heading south were Senator Deeds’ plan to be adopted.

    Fairfax County would pay a good 25% plus of all the costs of Deeds’ teacher raises. But we’d be lucky to get 12-14% back. Even the village idiots who live in Fairfax County ought to have learned by now that this plan would be a disaster. Raise local property taxes in RoVA to pay higher salaries for teachers.

    While I think Senator Deeds’ plan is a dog, I’m not sure about Lt. Governor Bolling’s plan. I’d be the first to agree with him that we spend too much money on educrats instead of educators. I just don’t know whether 65% is the correct number.

    But it’s a step in the right direction. I’d probaby vote for it if I were in the General Assembly.

    TMT

  4. Groveton Avatar
    Groveton

    TMT is right.

    Sen. Creigh “Dirty” Deeds is at it again. Got a problem? Soak NoVA. Need some money? Soak NoVA. Just plain bored? Soak NoVA.

    The sad thing to contemplate is just how much positive change could be applied to the public school system without spending a fortune.

    For example – have you ever wondered how to solve a Rubik’s Cube? Look at this:

    http://www.monkeysee.com/play/1113-solve-a-rubik-s-cube

    A simple video explaining a topic. I don’t have any inside info about the company that brings together the videos but it seems to be funded by advertising.

    Is there one course taught in the public schools in Virginia that has a video explaining the class, one of the lectures or even a topic of interest?

    Why does Virginia buy tens of thousands of textbooks without requiring that the publisher put a companion set of instructional videos on its web site? The publisher would have a more competitive product. They could even put advertising on the site and turn the web instruction video into a profit center.

    This would cost the school system (and the taxpayer) nothing.

    If we really want to improve Virginia’s schools – maybe we should outsource them to Google.

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