New Jersey Proud

Some of you know that I grew up amidst the strip malls of South Jersey, departing for Charlottesville in late Summer 1983 and returning since only as a visitor. That said, I must express great pride in the State, its Governor, and its voters for having the courage to say "enough is enough". Standing up to the teachers unions and other public unions has been difficult, but it is not without its reward. Voters across New Jersey this week sent 54% of their education budgets back to the drawing board--mostly as a result of Governor Christie's leadership.

Good for you, Jersey.

Obama At Odds With Teachers Union

There's been a sleeper of a little story brewing lately about a school district in Rhode Island (or as its residents say, "Roe Dylin") in which a bunch of teachers have been fired because of horrific student performance. Well, not just horrific student performance. They've also been fired because of their intransigence in agreeing to actually do anything about the situation. It seems President "Card Check" Obama has weighed in on the subject in support of the firings, and Randi Weingarten of the teachers' union is none too pleased!

I'm pleased that the President supports clearing away the educational underbrush, I'm pleased the administration of Central Falls High School has fired the teachers who would not act, and I'm pleased to see Randi Weingarten squeal. There's really no down-side to this story, well, except that fact that a school full of students is being failed by a system that believes money equals concern, and that more money equals more concern. Sounds to me like Central Falls High School would be a prime candidate for a voucher program....

New Arlington Schools Budget

News here of what one would have to believe (were one to buy the tone of the article) is a bare-bones, all the fat cut out budget for the Arlington County, Virginia school district.

Ok. Lets do a little history major math, shall we?

Total budget: $442 million.

Total number of students: 20,268

Average spending per student: approx $21,8oo per student

Number of states nationwide with an average per-pupil expenditure in excess of Arlington: 0


To paraphrase Eva Peron, "Don't cry for me, Arlington".