Reply #65: I don't hold a strong line on it like Taverner, but part of the reason

[Gormy Cuss]

that public schools in some areas are delivering such poor education is that so many people don't feel a personal stake in the quality of the education provided and won't vote for the $$$ to fund them properly and don't pay attention to the school board actions. If parents are supporting the public schools as places of education for all, then I don't care what choice they make for their own children.

The sad reality is that more parents are not only opting out of sending their children to public school but don't view it as a social responsibility to maintain a public school system. Parents aren't the only ones who may not view it as a social responsibility --- there are also people who are childless by choice or whose own kids are grown.

The less relevant that a quality education is to voters, the more likely it is that we will churn out more HS grads who can't grasp multiplication tables.

My public school education was good. I had stronger fundamentals in grammar, mathematics, science, and history than a fair number of my college classmates who went to private schools or public schools in wealthy areas. Public schools can provide quality education when there is a community commitment to do so.