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US schools lay off hundreds of thousands

reuters.com

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Re: US schools lay off hundreds of thousands

#4
post #2

You know who’s not laying off anyone? The military. Local funding of schools is ridiculous. Education benefits the whole nation. Educational investments shouldn’t be dictated by transient economic conditions.

> Educational investments shouldn’t be dictated by transient economic conditions.

Could someone not make the same argument about the national defense?

Education is funded largely by local taxes, and local tax revenues are being gutted, so there isn't much that can be done here without nationalizing public education.

Re: US schools lay off hundreds of thousands

#5
post #2

You know who’s not laying off anyone? The military. Local funding of schools is ridiculous. Education benefits the whole nation. Educational investments shouldn’t be dictated by transient economic conditions.

Would you really want national school funding given how Republicans behave?

Sure, there might not be layoffs, but the system would be perpetually mediocre.

Re: US schools lay off hundreds of thousands

#6
post #4
post #2

You know who’s not laying off anyone? The military. Local funding of schools is ridiculous. Education benefits the whole nation. Educational investments shouldn’t be dictated by transient economic conditions.

> Educational investments shouldn’t be dictated by transient economic conditions. Could someone not make the same argument about the national defense? Education is funded largely by local taxes, and local tax revenues are being gutted, so there isn't much that can be done here without nationalizing public education.

> "Could someone not make the same argument about the national defense?"

I took that to be the point they were making.

Re: US schools lay off hundreds of thousands

#7
post #3

Wait, public schools for children are not funded by the government in the US?

They are not funded by the national government. They are mostly funded by city and county governments, with some money from state governments.

Basically each city or county is mostly responsible for paying for the education of the children within its boundaries.

EDIT: I am slightly off on the percentages. See the comment below.

Re: US schools lay off hundreds of thousands

#9
it’s puzzling to me since I don’t understand who is going to replace the teachers. how is this going to work?

also I feel like the priorities are totally wrong. on one side we invest in things that don’t matter or are harmful. on another we screw people that have a meaningful contribution to society

Re: US schools lay off hundreds of thousands

#10
post #3

Wait, public schools for children are not funded by the government in the US?

Low-income districts are particularly troubled because of plunging revenue amid the Covid-19 recession. Districts rely for revenue on local property taxes and state subsidies. Poorer districts, where property tax revenue is low, rely on states for most of their income. With states hit hard by falling income and sales taxes, aid to school districts is dwindling in many places. -- TFA

Property tax revenues will also probably be dropping.

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