Friday, September 22, 2023

How the taxpayers in Washington State are getting screwed by public schools.

Yesterday, I stumbled across an article showing what a horrific academic disaster Baltimore Public Schools have become.

At 13 Baltimore City high schools, zero students tested proficient on 2023 state math exam


Pretty straightforward: Baltimore Public Schools are a disaster: an international disgrace, frequently exceeded in academic achievement by the most base, 3rd world schools.

My first thought was, that for the reader, that MUST mean they are horrifically underfunded.

It's an understandable, knee-jerk reaction. After all, the fringe-left neocommunist teachers unions want us to believe that money will solve ALL of the decades-long academic issues confronting our schools... and their willful accomplices in their media sidekicks go along cheerfully, reinforcing that utterly false messaging that we've been pounded with for years.

Except they are anything BUT "underfunded." Baltimore Public Schools expend $21,606 per student.

That equates to $4400 MORE per student than here in Washington State.

And folks, Washington State ain't got nothing to brag about, either.

Simply stated, contrary to the fallacious claims of the left generally and teachers unions particularly, money does NOT equal academic outcomes.

In recent years, the teacher's unions and their leftist/RINO scum colleagues in state/local government have RAPED us for massive, unconscionable increases in our property taxes.

I have, rightfully, claimed that these multi-billion dollar increases would accomplish absolutely nothing in the realm of the ONLY thing that matters from our school systems... and that is academic outcomes.

It would enrich teacher unions. It would put even more money in the pockets of these thugs for their 183 day, 7 hour per day per year prima donnas.

But when it came to OUTCOMES?

We would see no measurable improvement... PARTICULARLY where it matters most: academic outcomes.

Oh, they have time to program our little darlings into little leftist automatons. They've got time to ram pronouns for the 8,000 odd genders down their throats. They've got time to do all they can to get these kids mutilated into falsely changing genders. They've got time to orchestrate walkouts over their latest faux outrages designed to get media attention.

But as they jam this crap into the classroom day... as they program THEIR sense of morality into these kids psyche, as they do their best to remove parents from the equation altogether, (and you know leftists are attempting to do that through policy) academics... readin',  writin' and 'rithmatic get short shrift.

And isn't that what we send them there for?

Now, I led off this post with the horrific outcomes of just one complete failure of a school district... in this case, Baltimore. They've been a disaster for decades. And oddly, no one there seems to care.

I get that there've been riots around the country. Murders, assaults, arsons, looting... all in the name of social justice. (Whatever THAT is.)

But where's the social justice in sending kids to school for 13 years who can't do grade level work in English, math and science when they get out?

Where's the social justice in handing a kid a worthless piece of paper that says they've graduated from high school when they can't read, write or do math?

Where's the outrage? Where's the riots over an education system that condemns its children to lives of poverty, gangs, prostitution, drugs and all that goes with it? WHY AREN'T TEACHERS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR OUTCOMES?

You know.... like the rest of us are out OUR jobs?

I provided Baltimore's years-long issues as AN example. But many school districts around the country are circling an equal-sized drain.

Locally, for example, Evergreen School District comes to mind.

Recently victimized... again... by teacher extortionists demanding to do even LESS work for MORE money... I was sure that it was because these teachers were doing an COMPLETELY OUTSTANDING job in their classrooms and they weren't getting paid for it (And EVERY teacher extortionist strike is for one reason only: more pay for the teachers) so, piss on the law (which states that teacher strikes are illegal and gives them something to laugh at while they're doing it) and lets hold the kids hostage for even MORE money...

Academic outcomes be damned.

So, we cruise on over to the easily accessed but typically ignored Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instructions Report card function and take a quick gander at the AMAZING academic outcomes the just-two-weeks-ago striking teachers of the Evergreen School District were providing.

Here's a screen capture.  See for yourself: 



Wow! Amazing!  Just not in a good way.

How is it even remotely possible for only 55.1% of the students to "attend school regularly" but still have 93% graduate?

And how is it possible for ANY student to graduate who is not at grade level in English (only 37.6%) or Math (26.9%) or Science (35.7%)?

And these teacher extortionists went on strike?  Instead of a pay INCREASE, they should be giving BACK their pay.

Paying those more to piss off on their job is inexplicable, It's inexcusable.

Is it any wonder that there are 700 fewer students going to these shithole schools this year than last year?

It's safe to say that at this point in time, Evergreen schools are somewhat better than those Baltimore Public School shitholes.

But the trend is heading the wrong way and soon, Evergreen and other school districts in the state will be fighting it out with Baltimore for the worst schools not only in the country... but on the planet.

And locally, if any group has a justification for rioting, it's the parents of the students in the Evergreen schools.

And yet.... once again. They do nothing. 

And this is yet another illustration of how the taxpayers in Washington State are getting screwed by public schools... because it ain't just happening in the Evergreen district.

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