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IT'S
YOUR MONEY
Introduction...
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We
spend more than $220 billion a year on public schools, and millions
more on lawyers fighting about how we spend it. What are we getting
for our money?
Citizens of the United States have certain basic rights-freedom of
speech, freedom of worship, freedom of the press. These are spelled
out in the Constitution. What we are not guaranteed is the right to
an education, which is not even mentioned in the Constitution. That
means that education is left up to the states, and most states in
turn delegate the responsibility to local communities-some 15,500
separate school districts.
Conditions vary dramatically within each school district, from "state
of the art" to "state of decay," often depending on how much money
a community can raise through local property taxes. As "It's Your
Money" points out, money makes a huge difference in schools. Unfortunately,
after decades of fighting about school finance, no clear solutions
are in sight. It may well be that all the arguments about money have
blurred our vision. We've lost sight of larger questions about the
purpose of schooling.
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| Let's
ask, "What do we want for our children, what do we want them
to grow up to be, and what resources are required to get that job
done?" We've called this program "It's Your Money,"
but, more importantly, they're your children, and our nation's future. |
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Original
Airdate: February, 1995
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