ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The education industry has become an entitlement industry. The folks who once promoted reading as fundamental changed their tune when legislators considered offering voters the fundamental opportunity to read current debt levels (penalty and interest) on bond election ballots when school districts and other government entities seek new debt. Educators seemed to feel entitled to holding back that information.

And math. Credible math problems once involved calculating principle and interest. Not only was this a good exercise in understanding math principles, but it was also functional knowledge as most of us at one point or another make long-term purchases like a home or car in which interest significantly adds to the base purchase price.

Funny though, the education industry seems to feel entitled to disregard the interest when it comes to promoting school bonds. Students once learned an expenditure can’t be accurately evaluated unless interest is part of the equation. Yet in 2013, school districts, joined their other local government counterparts in fighting any entitlement of which voters might be deserving with regard to such transparency in bond elections.

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And thankfully, teaching character doesn’t appear so great a priority any more. After all, an industry that feels to entitled to obscure the true financial picture of a taxpayer-funded entity is hardly qualified to instruct others on matters of honesty or right and wrong!

And as lip service is continually paid to the theory of critical thinking, those utilizing such a skill quickly fall out of favor. Independent thought is rarely appreciated as it, on the subject of school finance, too often prompts discussion of economic realities and costs/benefits of dollars spent. Educators’ and their groupies’ best cases are based on promises for the future, not honest looks at outcomes of the past.

Authored by Lou Ann Anderson