The Voice for School Choice

Richland District 2 releases a pork filled $192 million budget for 2009 ($13,000+ per child). Not be outdone, Richland 1 proposes an outrageous $254 million ($15,000+ per child).

Callous administrators in Sumter fight for their new multi-million dollar administrative building, despite the looming consolidation of school districts in that county.

Bob Walker wants South Carolina teacher salaries to directly finance union dues, while national teacher unions organize massive strikes.

A public school teacher’s aid in Myrtle Beach confesses to improprieties with a student.

Implementation of a uniform national measure for determining high school graduation rates will force South Carolina bureaucrats to get honest about the 53 percent dropout rate.

In Dillion 2, where the District Superintendent is salaried at $133,000, junior high band members are forced to fundraise for their own (reconditioned) instruments.

Twenty-five years after the publication of “Nation at Risk,” George Will argues the situation in our public schools has worsened.

Wednesday, The Voice for School Choice’s exposed how education bureaucrats spend your tax dollars on their own creature comforts in the form of plush hotel rooms. Today we offer our readers’ an expanded travel report. Seeing these luxurious accommodations will help taxpayers understand how a mere 44 cent on the educational dollar reaches the children in public school classrooms.

Hopefully readers will also gain a new understanding of what status quo apologists are really worried about when they falsely claim that education reform via school choice will “take money from public schools.” Our rankings are based primarily on the quality of hotels, not necessarily room prices or length of stay.

The Educrat Hotel Review: Top 5 places to stay on the taxpayer dime:

5. Marriott at Renaissance Park, Spartanburg- $3,630 unaccountable dollars

Centrally located in downtown Spartanburg South Carolina this stunning, new Spartanburg hotel is located within walking distance of restaurants, entertainment, quaint shops, and historic Spartanburg walking tours.”

More stunning than the hotel itself is the amount of money forked over by the SC Dept. of Education. Did they put up the entire population of Spartanburg for the evening? This is another example of the unchecked bureaucratic spending that whittles away the resources being sent to schools. The very people who lap up these state funded perqs without a second thought are the first ones to cry out against reform. In a state that spends $7 Billion on education, and still has a 47 percent graduation rate, should this kind of money really be going to lush accommodations?

4. Sea Watch Resort, Myrtle Beach- $870.24 washed out to sea

“With its two glorious towers overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Sea Watch Resort awaits to present you with a Myrtle Beach resort vacation paradise.”

We personally think that “glorious” vacations in paradise should be taken by people who get glorious results in their jobs. Unfortunately, South Carolina public education administrators and bureaucrats seem perfectly willing to go frolic in the waves and keep putting real reform on the back burner. Maybe that’s because real education reform would put the money they spend on posh vacations back into the classroom?

3. Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach- $1,465 that will never see the classroom

“Situated on pristine oceanfront in the heart of Myrtle Beach’s Grand Strand. The drive to the tower is lined with palm trees, setting the stage for the luxury that awaits you inside.”

There’s nothing like a little publicly-funded luxury to get someone geared up for education. Of course we don’t want to paint spend-happy bureaucrats in a negative light. Maybe they bemoaned dilapidated school buildings and low teacher salaries while they sat in the pool sipping Mai Tais. South Carolina Taxpayers are only willing to pick up the $1,500 tab for this oceanfront junket because they don’t know about it. Why would the educrats volunteer the information and ruin a good thing?

2. Galt House, Louisville- $935.89 up in smoke

“Surround yourself in upscale, boutique-style charm in …our wonderful, newly-renovated downtown Louisville hotel. Indulge in a wide range of guest-friendly amenities, including six onsite restaurants and lounges, concierge desk, business center, spa services and, outdoor pool.”

We don’t think there is any question that the SC Dept. of Education guests at Galt House intended to “surround themselves in boutique style charm,” and the taxpayers back home have the $900+ bill to prove it. The thousands of children who drop out of school every year in South Carolina have the rest of their lives to learn to read. You may only get this free stay once. By all means, get room service…this one’s on us.

1. Crowne Plaza, San Francisco- $612 tax dollars down the tubes

“The newly renovated Crowne Plaza San Francisco International Airportdelivers upscale amenities and life-enhancing services in a comfortable and elegant environment.Our luxurious hotel offers a … pampering, productive environment.”

Thank goodness there is a place for South Carolina educrats to finally collect on what the public owes them: a pampering environment.

No really guys, you deserve this. In fact, you’re entitled to it! You (and you alone) make sure the children of South Carolina are provided with an “upscale” and “life-enhancing” education, so it’s only fair that the tax dollars of their parents should go toward your much needed R&R. No need to worry about growing class and racial performance gaps in our schools, just relax and unwind. Don’t do if for yourself, do it for the kids!

Richland School District 2 just approved an operating budget of $192 million for next school year.

But this enormous sum (nearly $9,000 per child) is not the whole story. According to in$ite data from the State Department of Education, the district will need at least $80 million more to cover the cost of its lavish new buildings. In fact, the real per-pupil spending for 2009 should exceed $13,000 - more than three times the average tuition cost of a private school in the US. Millions more will be contributed by the federal government in the forms of grants and programmatic spending. Total spending should exceed the 2009 statewide average of $11,480 per child by at least $200.

Despite the fact that district tax collections in Richland have nearly doubled since 2000, student performance continues to worsen. According to the PACT test, just one-in-three 8th graders in Richland 2 public schools are “proficient” or better in math or English Language Arts!

Even more alarming, these proficiency numbers have been steadily decreasing each year, despite the fact that total per-pupil spending has more than doubled in the last decade.

The endless clamoring of bureaucrats and politicians for more money is an attempt to mask the sustained failure of public schools in South Carolina. Their wasteful abuse of taxpayer money siphons away the lion’s share of appropriations from teachers and children. Based on the analysis of the Budget and Control Board, we can predict that a mere $3,945 per pupil will reach Richland 2 students in the form of instructional spending.

Enough is enough. Only a far-reaching educational reform like school choice can dismantle the system of political corruption and graft that robs our children of an adequate education. Only when educational bureaucrats are forced to openly compete with private schools, home-schooling, and charter schools will the bloated K-12 budgets of Richland 2 and other districts filter down to South Carolina’s children.

Sadly, the majority of money spent on public schools in South Carolina is not going to students in the classroom. Recently The Voice for School Choice explained how only 44 cents on the dollar goes to the teachers and students in the form of instructional spending. In a state that allocates over $7 billion a year in the name of “education,” we think it’s fair to know where the rest of that money is being spent.

While perusing the SC Comptroller General’s ” Spending Transparency” website, we came across a perfect example of what is wrong with education spending in the Palmetto State.

Last November, State Department of Education staff members racked up nearly $2,000 in bills at Kingston Plantation in Myrtle Beach, the self-described “finest” hotel in the city. This and other lavish hotel stays totaled nearly $17,000 of receipts for in-state lodging in November alone.

It’s good to know that amid the pressures of steering the nation’s lowest performing public school system further off course, state bureaucrats have found a way to leech a relaxing stay at Myrtle Beach off the public purse. No need to skim on anything less than four-stars if the taxpayers are picking up the tab. Maybe the “breathtaking views of the wide, sandy beaches and Kingston Plantation” will just wash away South Carolina’s forty-seven percent graduation rate!

Jim “Fixed Rate” Rex has a great new plan to lure and retain public school teachers: taxpayer subsides for teachers buying homes.

Rex, working with bureaucrats in the State Department of Education and the SC Housing Authority, wants to artificially reduce down payments and lock-in rates below those commercially available to regular consumers. In fact, the rates are sub-prime. He hopes that making homes seem cheaper for teachers will encourage them to continue working in public schools.

Not only will this overtly political plan cost taxpayer’s millions (at a time when many are themselves losing their homes) it will not work to improve teacher retention.

That’s because study after study after study after study has found that young teachers leave the profession for one reason more than any other: dissatisfaction with school and district leadership.

What’s more, there already exist a huge range of federal and state programs that assist first time home buyers.

But Rex specializes in spin, not substantive reform. Rather than streamlining the enormous district and departmental waste (which shaves off 54 cents of every educational dollar) he is showboating. Consolidating districts and trimming the bloated administrative staff in Columbia would allow for more of the $11,480 in appropriated per-pupil funding to reach classrooms in the form of teacher salaries.

Another policy that is proven to correlate with higher teacher salaries is school choice. That’s because the funding system behind public schools (with allocations from local, state, and federal governments) leaves more money for public schools when students transfer out. Public schools then use the money to raise teacher salaries in an effort to hire and retain competitive teachers.

While subsidized loans make for a great press release, this will do nothing for South Carolina’s children. They will not address the 47 percent high school graduation rate or the 49th place SAT scores. Only a substantive reform of the entire educational system which empowers parents with choices can do that.

Last week, three callous members of the House quietly killed Bill 3101, a proposal that would have provided scholarships to children with disabilities attending independent and private schools.

The “Special Needs Scholarship Program” was designed for parents with handicapped children who felt their local public school was unable to sufficiently provide for the child’s unique educational requirements. HB 3101 created a process to request and authorize a transfer of the student to a neighboring district or to a private school. The proposal was similar to (but financially smaller than) the popular McKay Scholarship in Florida.

The bill would have used the individual education plans (IEPs) created by local school districts to help determine the best educational options for the handicapped students. These IEPs are already required by the Federal Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) and work to ensure that every student -regardless of their abilities- receives a free and appropriate education.

Many special needs students already attend private schools (with state and federal support) under their IEP. Because of the high cost of educating students with certain types of disabilities, public school districts often choose to send these kids to private schools during the process of developing an IEP. In these cases local, state, and federal money follows the child to that private school.

But HB 3101 was much more narrow in scope. It merely sought to provide parents with a scholarship that amounted to a fraction of the state spending. It further promised that pupils who transfered out would still be counted on the public school rolls for state and local appropriations. In other words - local public schools would not incur the costs of educating the child, but would receive all the local, state, and federal spending on that child anyway.

Those who opposed the bill:
Denny Woodall Neilson
Herb Kirsh
Brian White

Those who voted in favor of HB 3101:
Harry B. “Chip” Limehouse, III
James H. “Jay” Lucas

Neilson, Kirsh, and White are heartless. Their vote to deny benefits to the parents of handicap children once again makes it clear: “defenders” of public schools who blindly reject school choice proposals are not working for the interests of their constituents.

Jim Rex, Superintendent of Education, oversees more than $7.4 billion in taxpayer spending by public schools across South Carolina. His policies and leadership touch the lives of 700,000 public school students everyday. Perhaps more than any other public policy, the strength of his K-12 education system will determine the social and economic success of our state in future decades.

But Jim is failing. The 47 percent high school graduation rate, the 49th place SAT scores, the growing performance gaps between black and white children, the declining PACT scores, his lowered standards, and the massive administrative waste all speak of a total system wide failure.

Jim’s response? Pick at low-lying political fruit.

This week it takes the form of very publicly fighting child obesity (again).

Arguing for a controversial and speculative program that “encourages students to read while riding spinner bikes in the gym” represents a new peak of political risk-taking and thoughtful policy insight. No doubt Jim’s dedicated brain-trust of taxpayer-fiananced consultants and career administrators (ten of whom make more than $100,000 per year) spent weeks debating the merits of this complex instructional vision.

Too bad Jim is unwilling to take a strong position on another imporrant topic: effective and equitable schooling options for all children in South Carolina.

As more and more parents in South Carolina speak out in favor of school choice, bureaucrats in the Department of Education have realized they must act. Rather than embrace a plan with parental choice and school competition, these public officials have been lobbying hard for public transfer and open enrollment programs in order to distract voters from real school choice.

Transfer options already exist for the children of principals, teachers, and administrators in most public districts. Those children generally have the option to attend any school within that district. Public choice is also federally mandated for pupils at Title I (low income) designated schools that do not meet Adequate Yearly Progress for two consecutive years and also for students who have been the victim of a violent crime. Children attending a school in South Carolina where there have been recorded violent crimes for three consecutive years are also entitled to request transfers. Finally, there are some instances where students whose parents can afford to pay tuition based on the local dollars spent per student at their new district (in most South Carolina districts the cost to the parents is in excess of $6,000 per child) may transfer within the public system.

In all cases, transferees must receive permission from both their home district as well as from the receiving district. Final notification about failing school status and choice options are not issued until the end of September, after the new school year is well under way. The offering of a transfer option is only mandated “to the extent possible,” and when districts lack other safe schools, they are “encouraged but not required” to allow out-of-district transfers. In such an unlikely event, they have no obligation to reimburse student transportation costs. Parents whose children attend isolated and underperforming rural schools do not have practical access to public school alternatives because there are none in their districts. Those living in higher density areas fight an uphill battle when seeking permission from two separate districts for transfers.

Although the public transfer options apply to a large number of schools, true school choice is not possible when limited to public schools. In 2004 there were 90 schools in South Carolina deemed low-performing by the US Department of Education. According to a 2005 report there are only 519 students in South Carolina who participate in public school choice. Parents have to pay their own transportation costs, fight with bureaucrats from both the out-going and incoming schools, and often they are left with only a “choice” between several failing public schools in their county. Meanwhile wealthy

An “achievement gap expert” is scheduled to speak at the USC Columbia campus on Wednesday, just days after the release of a new report highlighting a growing racial divide amongst public school students in South Carolina.

Lawmakers in the SC House have rejected a proposal that would provide special needs and disabled students with scholarships to attend independent and private schools. Public educators falsely claimed the scholarships would divert money from public schools.

The Greenville News argues that merit pay for teacher fosters accountability, while the SC Education Association uses taxpayer funded lobbyists to rally teachers against it.

Charleston’s Post and Courier chastises public school bureaucrats for dragging their feet on charter school issues, and skewing “choice” as “transfer.”

State Senator Kevin Bryant identifies $250 million in budget pork, while schools clamor for state money.

Yesterday, we showed how the EOC’s “Closing the Gap” report was an all time low in education spin. But Tuesday the SDE took it took the next (lower) level!

The “Achievement Gap” report was issued by the Education Oversight Committee in early April. It reviews PACT scores across the state. The report looks at specific student groups (low-income, minority, non native English speakers) and compares their scores and their schools to other kids in South Carolina.

As might be expected, even within the nation’s worst public school system there are huge disparities. Sadly, the report finds these gaps are widening. Rather than admitting the problem, the EOC released a report suggesting that the gap was “closing.”

But Tuesday the State Department of Education blew the EOC out of the water. Their “Reducing the Achievement Gap” press release explains:

“The South Carolina Education Oversight Committee (EOC) today honored 141 South Carolina elementary and middle schools for reducing the achievement gap for at least one historically underachieving student group.

Oh, really? But 141 means only 16 percent of the schools examined made an improvement, and thats just in one type of test for one type of student! No mention of the report’s summary that clearly states: the “achievement gaps increased,” “reflecting the general lack of progress” in the state.

Then the press release goes on to highlight one very special school:

The agency noted that Sanders-Clyde Elementary/Middle has been honored three years for progress in closing the achievement gap, although it served a student population of 99.6 percent poverty in 2007. Assistant principal Melvin Middleton believes that schools cannot ignore the basic needs of their students.

Are you serious? Based on the same PACT scores, only one-in-three seventh graders at Sanders-Clyde is proficient in social studies, and one-in-four proficient in science. How does this count as exemplary?

All this begs the question: why are the spin masters at SDE so much better than those at EOC? We think it is the taxpayers’ money. More = better.

Dana Yow at EOC only made $72,000 last year…

… while James (”Jim”) Foster, the PR guy for Jim Rex at Dept of Education made $92,293!

The key factor is closing of an inter-office “achievement gap” (remember, money = achievement): James makes only $286 more per year than his boss Jim Rex ($92,007), while Dana makes $52,500 less than EOC boss Jo Anne Anderson ($124,500).

By reducing total disparities in pay, the State Department of Education has been able to better manipulate communications, and portray public schools as “improving.” Rather than suggesting a pay raise for Jim Rex (or a cut for Jo Anne Anderson) we suggest that Jo Anne raise Dana’s taxpayer financed salary to $124,886 (proportionally higher than hers as James’ is to Jim’s). This will allow Dana the financial freedom and peace of mind to better manipulate student performance data (though admittedly, James has set the bar very high).