Taking Us For A Ride

Good column by John Tierney in the NY Times, kicking the tires of the tired old teachers' union spin, most recently applied to a federal report on public and private schools:

The public schools are spending more even if you exclude their expenses for special education, buses, lunch programs and central administration, as William Howell and Paul Peterson found in a study of New York elementary schools. The political scientists calculated that the public schools were still spending twice as much per pupil as were the Catholic schools in New York.

General Motors would not celebrate the news that its $40,000 Cadillac performed almost as well as a $20,000 Honda. It would not have its dealers put up signs reading: “Why Pay Less? Our Cars Are Nearly As Good.” But that’s the logic of the teachers’ union leaders who want to prevent students from getting vouchers and taxpayers from saving money.

I remember a school board candidate running on a platform that our (suburban) schools were "pretty good". As I recall he even recited a poem on the subject at the end of a debate, to my amazement. (I do think my jaw actually dropped.) Of course, he was elected. I tried to find his poem, but found this one instead. It seems to express my sentiments rather than his, though.

Too bad.