Letter to editor: Money can’t fix what’s broken in Beaufort’s public schools
Reader: Money can’t fix what’s broken in Beaufort’s public schools
Why are the citizen taxpayers of Beaufort allowing the Board of Education and ultimately County Council to continue to increase taxes to then continue to do a “below average” job at educating our children and grandchildren?
At (according to yesterday’s article in the Tribune) $15,240 per student, I am stunned that anyone would think that money is the magic bullet that will enable our students to do better. As anyone who home schools knows, all you really need is a table, some books and supplies, and a knowledgeable, patient teacher with a teaching degree.
So, why is it that Beaufort needs to spend what for some of our county’s disadvantaged families would be a yearly salary (if making minimum wage) of income to have a child in school for perhaps 180 days of the year?
By the way, that equates to $85 per child per day. If you consider say a class of 30, that would be $2550 per day for one class of students. I bet the hard working teachers would like a larger salary considering that kind of money.
I certainly know of the many other expenses connected with operating and maintaining the buildings, buses, cafeteria, and so on. That being said, let us pretend that there are four 4th grade classes each with the above figures. That would mean it is costing $10,200 per day to educate the fourth graders in one elementary school in Beaufort County. Someone revive me, please!
In addition, the families, or those charitable folks who try to help out, are having to provide the students with supplies of all types, and many of the teachers spend money from their family budget to prepare their classes each year.
Where is the money going so quickly that the teachers are not even provided what they need to do their jobs? Who is overseeing the finances and where is the money going? When was the last time there was an audit and is one needed?
Perhaps the school board and council members need to read the articles the rest of us are reading stating Beaufort County has expenses 35% higher than the rest of the state and 100% higher than North Carolina and yet continues to produce “below average” results. Actually, our schools have been included in the list of “the worst public schools for the money” in the nation.
I know you cannot force all to learn if they do not want to, but spending more taxpayer dollars cannot correct that problem.
Do we now live in a nation that thinks money will correct ALL issues? How about trying to “do more with less” beginning with taking a close look at the budget, where the money is going, and how it can be better spent.
Remember to vote.
Joyce Merrill
Beaufort SC
Related posts:
- Letter to editor: What about the public schools?
- Letter to editor: Hold Beaufort County Board of Education’s feet to fire
- Ethnic composition of Beaufort County public schools released
- Get accurate student uniform chart here for Beaufort County’s public schools
- Letter to the editor: Obstructing Riverview Charter School with the race bugbear is sad
