Those Silly Republicans

[UNHWildCats]

The New Hampshire legislature is working towards passing legislation to give home owners who send their children to schools out of district, private or home schooled a tax abatement of $3,500 each year on their property taxes.

"The intent is if you're not using a public school system, and spending money on private school or home school, this would allow you to get a tax break," said Forsythe, R-Strafford


If this passes I smell many lawsuits from childless families demanding the same abatement since they don't use the education system.

[native]

The New Hampshire legislature is working towards passing legislation to give home owners who send their children to schools out of district, private or home schooled a tax abatement of $3,500 each year on their property taxes.

"The intent is if you're not using a public school system, and spending money on private school or home school, this would allow you to get a tax break," said Forsythe, R-Strafford


If this passes I smell many lawsuits from childless families demanding the same abatement since they don't use the education system.

Good point, UNH. What they should do instead is simply pass a voucher law so that parents could send their children to the school of their choice, as long as the schools met reasonable regulatory requirements.

[Col Hogan]

The New Hampshire legislature is working towards passing legislation to give home owners who send their children to schools out of district, private or home schooled a tax abatement of $3,500 each year on their property taxes.

"The intent is if you're not using a public school system, and spending money on private school or home school, this would allow you to get a tax break," said Forsythe, R-Strafford


If this passes I smell many lawsuits from childless families demanding the same abatement since they don't use the education system.

Too bad you had to put a stupid Thread title on a subject that deserves more thought...it is a silly idea...just as silly as some that the Democrats have come up with over the past few years...

[kalm]

I read or listened to a recent report stating that while our education system lags woefully behind considering our spending, if you remove the bottom 20% of poorest kids and/or districts we are tops in nearly every category. The problem isn't our school system, it's parenting and socio economics.

Why do poor kids in other countries get better education than ours?

[Col Hogan]

I read or listened to a recent report stating that while our education system lags woefully behind considering our spending, if you remove the bottom 20% of poorest kids and/or districts we are tops in nearly every category. The problem isn't our school system, it's parenting and socio economics.

Why do poor kids in other countries get better education than ours?

You answered your own questions....more parental involvement...

There is a pride in education in other countries that goes from the top to bottom of the socioeconomic ladder in society...Not so here...

[TwinTownBisonFan]

I read or listened to a recent report stating that while our education system lags woefully behind considering our spending, if you remove the bottom 20% of poorest kids and/or districts we are tops in nearly every category. The problem isn't our school system, it's parenting and socio economics.

Why do poor kids in other countries get better education than ours?

You answered your own questions....more parental involvement...

There is a pride in education in other countries that goes from the top to bottom of the socioeconomic ladder in society...Not so here...

difference between here and those countries is pretty stark in two other areas generally:

assistance available to poor families and
parental leave policies

more to the point - with those other things in place, along with any number of other issues - it's pretty difficult, growing up poor to get a good, or consistent eduction. whether it's bouncing from school to school - living with various relatives as opposed to your own parents - foster care, etc... there is precious little stability in these kids lives... add to that alarmingly high rates of physical abuse and neglect... all the sudden you start to see why you can flood a school with cash, but if a kid goes home to house with nothing to eat the heat turned off and the electricity boosted from a neighbor... the kid still doesn't learn... it's not exactly an environment conducive to reinforcing a quality education.

[HI54UNI]

Socio economic issues play a role but a large part of the blame falls on the schools. Bad teachers, poorly trained teachers, inadequate buildings/facilities, too much bureaucracy/administration wasting precious dollars, school boards that don't hold the administration accountable, etc. all are the largest part of the problem.

[youngterrier]

Socio economic issues play a role but a large part of the blame falls on the schools. Bad teachers, poorly trained teachers, inadequate buildings/facilities, too much bureaucracy/administration wasting precious dollars, school boards that don't hold the administration accountable, etc. all are the largest part of the problem.

....and students who get wasted every weekend and learn to not give a **** and therefore the teachers become softer so said students can pass, because said number of students are a significant percentage. That's my opinion of the situation at least

[native]

I read or listened to a recent report stating that while our education system lags woefully behind considering our spending, if you remove the bottom 20% of poorest kids and/or districts we are tops in nearly every category. The problem isn't our school system, it's parenting and socio economics.

Why do poor kids in other countries get better education than ours?

In some cases, it's because they are not measured. We probably do a better job of measuring.

[Chizzang]

I read or listened to a recent report stating that while our education system lags woefully behind considering our spending, if you remove the bottom 20% of poorest kids and/or districts we are tops in nearly every category. The problem isn't our school system, it's parenting and socio economics.

Why do poor kids in other countries get better education than ours?

Because the American poor know damn well they're going to be taken care of - regardless...



I know I sound like AZ don't tell him I said that okay

[Appaholic]

I read or listened to a recent report stating that while our education system lags woefully behind considering our spending, if you remove the bottom 20% of poorest kids and/or districts we are tops in nearly every category. The problem isn't our school system, it's parenting and socio economics.

Why do poor kids in other countries get better education than ours?

Because the American poor know damn well they're going to be taken care of - regardless...

ding!ding!ding!

[kalm]

Because the American poor know damn well they're going to be taken care of - regardless...

ding!ding!ding!

Well that would account for the poor countries where you have to scrap and fight for everything you get, but what about the commies in Europe?

[mebison]

The New Hampshire legislature is working towards passing legislation to give home owners who send their children to schools out of district, private or home schooled a tax abatement of $3,500 each year on their property taxes.

"The intent is if you're not using a public school system, and spending money on private school or home school, this would allow you to get a tax break," said Forsythe, R-Strafford


If this passes I smell many lawsuits from childless families demanding the same abatement since they don't use the education system.

Never been a big fan of stuff like this, or totally unrestricted open-enrollment either. While I know that throwing buckets of money at schools doesn't necessarily make them any better, I doubt taking a bunch of money away from an unpopular school magically makes it better either.

I grew up in a small rural school that was pretty decent though (doesn't produce an Nobel prize winners, but at least everyone could read and calculate a tip by graduation). We'll likely be raising my daughter in a major metropolitan school district, so many of my opinions on education are likely to change over the next couple years.

[Appaholic]

ding!ding!ding!

Well that would account for the poor countries where you have to scrap and fight for everything you get, but what about the commies in Europe?

In the case of Finland (according to my Finnish co-workers), they direct their poor performers to trade schools before HS to learn a skill. Essentially, your ability to perform well in HS & college is pretty much determined during middle school. If you donm't test well, you're cleaning toilets....which isn't so bad since all make the same wages regardless of responsibility (I make more money than my boss's boss in Finland...he makes no more than the people he is in charge of in country & makes less than his reports located outside of country). Remove all students making less than B-average in US schools from the equation & our kids are a collective genius....

[mebison]

Well that would account for the poor countries where you have to scrap and fight for everything you get, but what about the commies in Europe?

In the case of Finland (according to my Finnish co-workers), they direct their poor performers to trade schools before HS to learn a skill. Essentially, your ability to perform well in HS & college is pretty much determined during middle school. If you donm't test well, you're cleaning toilets....which isn't so bad since all make the same wages regardless of responsibility (I make more money than my boss's boss in Finland...he makes no more than the people he is in charge of in country & makes less than his reports located outside of country). Remove all students making less than B-average in US schools from the equation & our kids are a collective genius....

So Finland is Lake Woebegone, where all kids are better than average?