On 14 Mar, 2005, at 12:05, Peter Coyle wrote:
We can't afford enough teachers, but we can afford to purchase and maintain laptops?
50 million spent on one school?
Seriously, I could cry.
The problem for your tears is ... the physical plant of the Philadelphia Public School System is pathetic.
One of the reasons that the Philadelphia School System CONSTANTLY has teaching VACANCIES is not the lack of funding for teacher salaries, but the fact that nobody wants to work here!
"Laptops" are a red herring. They cost less than $2000 each if you buy Apple. Less than half that amount if you go with the Microsoft monopoly.
I know several recent graduates, Philadelphia residents, K-12 teachers, who would rather remain unemployed in teaching than work in the Philadelphia Public School System -- period. ... security is one of the least of their concerns. All are on waiting lists for both local Suburban School districts and out-of-state Districts.
Decrepit facilities, from pealing paint and lack of desks to lack of "contemporary tools," -- yes, computers and laptops -- heads their list of objections. They see the lack of a decent physical plant as a direct indicator of Philadelphia's commitment to education. [Remember the broken window theory? True or not it has a significant impact.]
The School District of Philadelphia is/has embarked on a significant Capital improvement program to build new replacement schools in various locations around the city.
I don't know the actual numbers, but based on experience with various construction projects, my guess is that the total difference between a "classic" school building and one that has been brought in to the Internet age is less than 2-3% of the total cost of construction. The difference in cost of additional or different materials is insignificant when compared to the labor costs involved in the project. Attempting to retrofit existing buildings to support modern teaching methods or contemporary (let alone future) technology is exorbitant!
Lastly, the cost of building a new school comes from the Capital Budget, which is supported by bond issues and the like, not from the Operating Budget which is where the teacher's salaries come from.
Additionally, this new school will in fact CREATE something on the order of 23 NEW teaching positions (700/30) alone and probably an equal number of administrative positions associated with the school.
T.T.F.N. William H. Magill [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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