Follow the Money… If You Can

The D.C. school system will have to return almost $24 million in federal funding that they had forgoten about and failed to spend. Or maybe they won't. Nobody seems terribly sure just what the heck is going on. Even if the money didn't slip through the cracks, the real revelation here seems to be that the people who nominally run the system don't appear to have any shared notion of how, exactly, that system works. Do the D.C. schools offer accounting classes? Public administration? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? (Hat tip to Chuck Karczag)

Comments

[Brad S]

Further proof that the government should get out of the education business.

[JDM]

"Discovery of the leftover $23.8 million ? nearly one-third of the annual federal appropriation to D.C. schools ? comes as opponents of a $13 million school voucher program for the District, proposed in Congress, complain that the voucher funding should go instead to the public schools."

The voucher program is only costing $13 million and $24 million dollars is being spent now just for the sake of spending it? What exactly were the opponents of the voucher program opposing again?

[Brad S]

JDM - they were opposing the notion of a free market holding them to some quality benchmark in terms of their educational duties. Oh the horror!

[elmo]

I'd love to see an audit of the DC school system done by a reputable accounting house. What part of that spent budget actually makes it to students and how much is soaked up in the bureaucratic (nepotism laden) sponge?

As for schools spending money, Ca has no problem. In LA, the LAUSD contracts out special ed (mentally and emotionally disabled)students to private schools to the tune of $19,500 each per year. Maybe this sort of stuff explains how it eats up such a huge part of the state budget. These schools have no interest in mainstreaming any of these kids since they are little cash-cows. If they get better, the school loses a big chunk of change.

[D Anghelone]

Do the D.C. schools offer accounting classes?

Accost accounting.

What the hell is wrong with these people? In NYC we can spend billions on education without a dime being left over.

[Douglas Fletcher]

If they don't want to spend it, I will.

[Cleary Jackie]

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DATE: 05/21/2004 05:55:36
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