Defeat the levy and make these changes

Before the end of this term, notify parents of students of these changes for next fall:

Sports: Parents pay on a per student basis the $887,828 cost of sports programs. If half of students participate, parents pay $504 per participating student.

Computer studies: $484,219, parents of each student $138 

Transportation: $2,066,259, parents for each student pays $586 to $734

Meals: Education should not be saddled with administering welfare programs. Cancel.

As parents begin to realize, and pay the actual costs of their children’s “education,” let them decide which public school programs are essential to retain.

What is needed is free market education, with aggressive competition, falling prices and a thousand more options than could ever develop out of a bureaucracy. The present government controlled institution is inefficient, and not responsive to today’s needs.

I predict most parents would choose private schools within two years, which are more efficiently run, costing only a fraction of public schools, and provide a more focused, and superior education for students.

New private schools, or individual teachers could lease existing vacant facilities from the County, and compete for students by their field of interest or vocational choice.

How successful is current U.S. public education? Tests in 65 countries: In science, the U.S. ranked 23rd; in math 31st; in reading, 17th; and in most other subjects, the U.S. was no higher than 24th. (NY Times 12/7/2010. Program for International Assessment.)

But guess who spends most per student! 

WILLIS LARSEN

Sandpoint