Today we continue the “Nothing is Sacred” series with a look at the public school system.  Just as a reminder, these are “off the top of the noggin” ideas, and are meant more to start a discussion than as final solutions to our problems.  The purpose is to illustrate that we will need to keep an open mind if we ever wish to get government spending under control -- and that this is not necessarily a bad thing.

The public school system has come under a lot of fire these days for their pensions and benefits, which are becoming a very expensive part of the state budget.  My feelings on this are mixed.  I want public school teachers to enjoy decent pay and solid benefits.  Still, I am a little nervous at the way public unions have been flexing their muscles recently, especially in the education sector.

It is disquieting how public education spending per pupil has doubled in the past 15 years.  Have we gotten our money’s worth?  The fact that people are clamoring for education reform year after year without fail suggests that no, we have not.  It is common to attribute these rising expenses to increases in non-teacher positions, and to suggest that cutting these positions would have no discernible effect on student achievement.

These are dangerous assertions, and I think there is a case to be made for either side.  Very truly, I am no expert.  Education is complex, and changing one part of it will likely have ripple effects felt throughout the system.  This is not a new idea.  Economists refer to these ripples as unintended consequences, and I have written about them several times before -- my favorite and most accessible post being “The Garden Economy.”

Still, there are two key components of education spending that seem ripe for examination: the mandated increases in education spending each year (even in the face of declining enrollment) and standardized testing.  In fact, these two components seem remarkably intertwined.  Thornton legislation was introduced as a direct response to poor standardized test scores in the state of Maryland.

Just how important are standardized tests, really?  For decades, they have been growing in both prominence and expense.  Yet it seems like the vast majority of teachers believe that their importance is overstated, perhaps detrimentally so.  This excerpt from the opening chapter of Standardized Minds by Peter Sacks makes an excellent case for reducing the amount of time and money our country spends on them each and every year (Americans spent $200 million on standardized tests fourteen years ago -- imagine what we’re up to now!).

Perhaps if we took a fresh look at how we measure student achievement, we could find a way to save money without sacrificing the education of our children.  That alone might be enough for us to reallocate our resources to more effectively and bring quality education to all Maryland students -- not just those fortunate enough to live in a prosperous area or attend an expensive private school.