Financing Schools and Corporal Punishment

¶ … reason I had time was that it was summer and we don't have as much work in the summer.

In fact I urge you to double-check the salary numbers because even with a magnifying glass they were very hard to read.

In the future I would urge you to send full-sized pages of everything, or you may find that at the last time a model paper writer has discovered that he or she cannot read your fax and will have to cancel doing your model paper. A page shrunk to 50j% of its size has 25% of the legibility of full size, not 50%, and faxes degrade legibility also.

No one wants to do that, but I had to do it just last week because of a very poor quality fax. We do not write these papers in the same way most students do. That's the only reason we can afford to do something like this. We have streamlined methods, so it really is possible that someone wouldn't notice a really bad fax until the last day.

I'm not trying to make you feel bad or anything. I just thought you should know. (

Also, the answer to #3 is a guess because you did not include the whole chart.

I could not answer the question "Explain the above highlighted question." Nothing was highlighted. Perhaps it did not come through on the fax.

Also, questions may be out of order as the page number often did not appear on the fax pages.

Finally, nowhere in your instructions did you indicate the need for a specific book (Tom Savage's Discipline for Self-Control. I do not have access to that book and cannot answer those questions. However, I have exceeded the 900 words maximum you paid for without that.

Gail

Education Questions

How can schools be financed differently?

Other options include taxing, or increasing taxes on, businesses; or, in states that allow gambling, funneling some of the taxes from casinos to schools. Many school districts apply for grants to fund special projects, which frees money for other purposes.

Why the difference in per pupil spending?

In a taxation system based on income, available funds will rise as the taxpayers' income rises. When the school's funds depend on personal property tax, districts with higher property values will have more funds for education. When business property is taxes, those areas with a high concentration of businesses will have more funds for the public schools.

What limitations do you feel should be placed on aid given to the schools?

Since the federal government provides rules for operation of special education services that have major impact on state and local funding, the federal government should be responsible for paying extraordinary costs for students with special needs for whom the cost of services greatly exceeds the typical cost of special education. As an example, perhaps each district or state should calculate what it costs to educate the typical child in special education. If projected costs for that student are, say, triple that amount, the federal government should be required to make up the difference. As it stands now the federal government can decree great expenditures to state and local districts for special education without any requirement that it pay the cost of the demands it makes.

Explain how this (spending caps) may hinder the quality of education.

When the major income for a school district comes from personal property tax, limits on how high the taxes can go can restrict funds for the public schools. Over time, inflation has a significant effect on the cost of education. Unless a system is in place that easily creates the extra needed money, public schools are doomed to face periodic financial problems as their income repeatedly exceeds their funds. Their only other choice is to scale back services, which will have a negative impact on students' education.

Explain how this policy may protect the property owner.

Increasing property taxes on time is based on the assumption that people's income increases over time. However, this is not always true. For instance, many retired people rely on incomes that will not increase over time, so repeatedly raising their property taxes because inflation raises the value of their homes can create a serious economic hardship on them. Placing a cap on property taxes protects them.

In addition, sometimes the real estate market heats up, and the value of property inflates. This is happening in many places right now. The person living in the individual house has done nothing to cause his or her home to triple in value over just a few years, and many of those individuals will suffer financial hardship sooner or later if property taxes soar.

1. What is the highest Salary:

With a BA?

$69,445

School?

Howell Twp

2. What is the lowest salary?

$24,300 (BA)

School?

Well Twp

3. What accounts for the differences in salary guide?

Howell has more per capital to spend on education than Well does.

4. What other benefits do teachers receive that cost money but aren't part of the salary guide?

Whatever part of health benefits are not paid by employees must be paid by the school district. The chart does not include social security paid by the district, nor does it include district contributions to individual teacher retirement accounts. In addition there is the cost of sick days and personal days.

5. NJEA proposes making salaries for both certified and non-certified staff commensurate with private-sector salaries in careers that draw from the same pool of qualified candidates and where job responsibilities are parallel, in order to attract people to teaching. NJEA is supporting legislation to raise the minimum salary to $50,000, as soon as possible (NJEA Review, May 2000). How would the new proposal affect the budget?