ABSTRACT
“Reforming education” has grown into an anti-poverty program in sheep-skin clothing. In early 2009 with the economy collapsing on all fronts, Congress remained as intent as ever to insulate education from financial carnage. Classifying a public expenditure as “education” is a huge political accomplishment. “Education” is remarkably expandable to include activities that barely affect classroom learning and gullible taxpayers seldom appreciated the elasticity. With the calculated cost to society of drop outs in hand together with the price of preventing the flight, the cost/benefit ratios of intervention can be calculated. New construction and renovation were also generously funded while schools at the very bottom were to receive an additional $6.5 billion in both 2009 and 2010 though decades of such largesse had shown the futility of additional spending. Proposed cutbacks targeted schools that had cleverly pushed varied humdrum expenses on to Medicaid, for example, construction costs, the school nurse’s supply of antacids tablets, and lice combs.
