No Money is No Money is No Money

The state government of Illinois is teetering on financial insolvency. California is almost equally crippled. Most American states have dug their way deep into financial holes. Some school districts have been in the red for years. Most lower-performing school districts are perpetually short of funds and have little prospect of receiving sudden, large infusions of cash. Some of our “solutions” need to be taken off the table. The mandatory, nation-wide, all-year school year requires all-year air-conditioning and all-year teachers at a time when school districts are aggressively laying off teachers and paraprofessionals, while juggling the remaining staff to cut costs. The extended year also requires more busses, more general staffing, and many more “free” breakfasts and lunches. Utility and supply costs go up as days are added. Longer school days, early enrichment programs, and smaller class sizes eat funds rapidly for the same reasons.