The Republic of Suburbia

The oppressive republic of suburbia is getting to me. The topic of the schools and their need for money has come up a few times. People don't want to educate themselves on school finance. They want to repeat some ignorant comment made by their 90 year old grandfather. "The schools don't spend wisely!" Blah. I'm assuming that once upon a time, schools were rolling in money, buying field trips to Hawaii and in-door swimming pools for their buildings. That would not be so wise. Those days ended before I hit my schooling years. Too bad for my generation. If there is someone out there who can explain to me just how schools are misusing funds, I will spread the word. Just haven't found anyone who can back up their claim.
Let me explain what can be backed up with data and documentation. Schools spend exactly what they need to survive and educate children. You can access any Ohio school's financial forecast and documentation at www.ode.state.oh.us. During the Bush administration, he implemented the Tangible Personal Property Inventory Phase-Out. In other words, waahoo for business profit...screw you public education. Businesses no longer have to pay schools an inventory tax. This has left districts scrambling to survive. Damn republicans. But wait! The democratic savior to public education, Governor Strickland, legislated that salt be poured into the wounds. Unfunded mandates. Educators got suckered into that vote.
The only revenue source currently available to schools....I'm going to have to use the L word. Levies. There. I said it. It's all schools have right now, and people are tired of taxes. Understandable.
So, I have a proposal. I say we eliminate public education all together. You don't want to pay, no problem. Other countries don't offer "free" public education. You want your child to have an education outside of the home, then cough up tuition. Competition will surely come into play, so you'll have to pay several thousand for a good education delivered by quality teachers. If you only have one child, you may break even from your current tax rate. But, if you have more than one kid, yikes! You are looking at $15-$20K per year. Good luck with that.