Friday, April 09, 2010

There's plenty of room to cut education spending

Steven Malanga of the Manhattan Institute is a keen observer of New Jersey's fiscal excesses. He has a great column in today's NY Post that I was going to point to, but our friends at InTheLobby beat me to it while I was busy repossessing trucks.

Here's the gist:

From 2001-2009 school enrollment in New Jersey increased by 38,000 students, 3%.

Full time school hiring jumped by 28,000, 14%.

"That's right: Jersey's schools have added three-quarters of an employee for every new student -- during a period of deep fiscal pain for the state. Most of the new hires were teachers -- which is more than one new instructional worker for every two new students."

Governor Christie is doing the right thing by forcing a reversal of this trend. But for the political landscape he could cut deeper. Anyone who tells you (or tells your kids to tell you) differently has their hands in your pocket.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Not only in the schools, but in the towns and counties too!

Anonymous said...

Population in my school system has been rising.

No two school districts are alike. wqe need to stop making decisions based on broad genralizations.

Not all schools do a bad job.
Not all schools have the same number of special needs students.
Not all school districts are fiscally irresponsible.
Not all school distrcts have lots of overpaid administrators.

When we make policy based on broad genralizations we hurt the school districts that do things right.

Anonymous said...

Show me one school district that "Does the Right Thing", it does not exist.

M Laffey said...

Anon 1o:48

Go look at Tinton Falls k-8

They cut # of administartors by 40%

Their portion of the tax bil went from over 50% to 35% all while improving test scores, getting two Governors School of excellence awards, adding technology and starting new programs.


With all do respect such a comment is rather ignorant.