So in my New England state, the government spends upwards of $18,000 per year, per student. If a teacher has a class of 20-30, that means roughly $360k-560k per year in “revenue” per classroom.
I get it, old buildings need upkeep etc. etc. but how the *hell* are experienced teachers only getting a 60-70k cut of that cashflow? That's like less than 16% at the high end…
Is it all the “administrators” school districts hire? I remember reading about New Jersey having multiple admins in one school district who each got $250,000+ per year. Is it too many school principals and overpaid school boardmembers? Consultants? Contractors screwing the pooch? Is Chartwells overcharging for catering? It can't be the teacher's aides they make like $15 an hour! Record-keeping and DOE regulatory compliance can be expensive, but 10 grand per student per year expensive? Nah…. school bus drivers make 15-25 an hour, school nurses not much more…. it literally doesn't add up.
I drive trucks, and truckers get a rough 25%-35% cut i you do the math out, esp. those who are literally paid on commission. It leaves enough for operating expenses for truck payments, taxes, maintenance, registration costs, fuel, overpriced insurance etc. and a little profit for the company. But schools are supposed to be non-profit… and schools don't even have to pay property taxes! So expenses *should* be fairly low.
So where the hell is 90% of the cashflow going, if not to teachers who do the actual teaching?!?
And please don't tell me “pensions”, I know pensions can be poorly managed, benefits overpromised, and cost way too much as a result, but there's no way that accounts for the difference…