Money can’t solve all of the world’s problems, unfortunately. Democrats in California would have you believe otherwise, but the truth is that the state’s massive expenditures towards social welfare programs could be put to much better use elsewhere. This is especially true in terms of education.
There is an enormous amount of money involved in California state education, between unions and state spending on education programs. This is even more startling when you realize that teachers still are not paid as well as they can and should be. Where does all this money go? Certainly not to the Poway Unified School District, which is paid approximately $1,500 less per student than any other district in San Diego County. That amounts to roughly $55 million per year that the state is withholding from Poway schools.
The state sponsors a number of ridiculous spending programs in education that Poway Unified does not qualify for, such as programs that provide extra funds based on the number of English learners or poor families. And despite this lack of funding, Poway Unified produces better results than all other San Diego public school districts.
The success of schools is not simply about funding, as Democrats often suggest. The money helps, but it certainly does not exclusively determine the outcome. The real problem is that education is being held back by organizations like the teachers’ unions and other special interest groups who have a stranglehold on California politics. They are more interested in gaining political power and lining their own pockets than they are with the well-being of California’s youth.
Some problems require more complex solutions than an increase in funding. This is true for more than just education, as it also applies to issues like the homelessness crisis in California. Democratic plans to deal with these problems have failed again and again but because they hold a majority in the state government, they just continue to increase funding and refuse to admit fault or come up with more rational solutions. Something has to be done but until the Democrats are voted out of office, we are largely at an impasse.
