During the past two elections, the President yelped about supporting a religious-based education system but while he waits around for vouchers, a parallel education system is already well under way. As the public education system collapses due to lack of funding, the private school system is flourishing. The Haves have never had a better education system and they are doing it with their own money and tons of it.
The same people that go to great lengths to avoid paying a dime of taxes are eagerly forking over $20k a year per child to create a second, totally separate education system. We are talking TONS of money going to spoil a few precious kids while the majority of our citizens go without.
Tuitions Rise Sharply At Private Schools
As Some Annual Costs Reach $30,000, Families Making Six Figures Receive More Aid
March 29, 2006
Private-school tuition is continuing to climb sharply, putting a burden on even the affluent families that send their kids to such schools.
After three years of marked increases, elite K-12 institutions around the country say their costs continue to rise and they have no choice but to raise rates. Leading the way, some New York City schools are now topping $30,000 a year with certain fees. Even kindergarten at Trinity School will cost over $27,000. But in an acknowledgment of the rising toll on parents, some schools are offering aid to families making as much as $250,000 a year.
Where is all this money coming from? It astonishes me. I suspect that what we are seeing a huge transfer of wealth from seniors to their grandchildren. But rather than float all boats with a public school system for all citizens, this private system is only for those who can pay. The private school system is flourishing and much of it is for profit. No one want to support public school anymore but suddenly "education" is a growth industry.
Since marrying a teacher, I have learned a lot about the economics of education and what I see is upsetting. Unfortunately the teachers themselves share a lot of blame. Much like Detroit, the teachers unions do as much to harm their constituents as help them. I think one of the worst problems however is this idea that teachers teach from the "goodness of their hearts" not for a paycheck.
Listen to me people, teachers are professionals. They are not nuns or missionaries. Teachers have done a poor job marketing themselves and maintaining a sense of professionalism but teaching is hard work. It takes training, skill and talent and should be rewarded as well as any other profession, yet it is not. Teachers are constantly being asked to do more with less and they get less respect every year, from children and parents.
Our public school system needs a lot of help, starting with a total revamp of how it is funded. Unfortunately the wealthiest and most able parents are opting out altogether, fleeing for private schools (or worse yet, home-schooling) the way they fled our cities for the suburbs.
The Asian Tigers have spent tons of money on infrastructure, from airports to fiber optics, but education has always been one of the most important investments there is. In our rush to buy luxury SUV's, flatscreen TV's and overpriced McMansions, we have totally dropped the ball on infrastructure and that is one of the big reasons China and India are going to eat our lunch when these private school kids start looking for jobs.
