Money not the issue in Asbury Park

[fiberisgoodforyou]

Money not the issue in Asbury Park schools
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We have long argued on our editorial pages that the problems facing urban school districts are largely unrelated to the amount of money being spent on them. The key is competent management of resources and strong leadership, particularly building principals.

The Asbury Park School District, typically among the leaders statewide in per-pupil spending, appears to have found the strong leadership that has been missing in its middle school and high school. Staff Writer Nancy Shields had an outstanding piece on the new high school principal, Tyler Blackmore, in today's paper.

One of the striking facts in Nancy's article was the high school's low enrollment - 644. And the school includes grades 8 to 12. In the early 1970s, when 40 percent of the high school's students came from its seven sending districts, the enrollment was 1,300 - about double that of today.

In Asbury Park, lack of money is not the problem. According to the state Education Department's 2007 Comparative Spending Guide, the district spends $19,102 per pupil - the highest figure among the state's 31 Abbott districts, which far outspend the non-Abbotts.

That $19,102 figure is deceptively low, however. If you divide the district's enrollment of 2,362 by its $80 million-plus budget, it works out to more than $33,000 per pupil.

The district's new leadership should be able to accomplish a lot with that kind of financial support.

[bergsteiger]

After competent management of resources and strong leadership, particularly building principals does not work then what will be the excuse?

Could it be the students which attend school in Asbury are just not the sharpest pencils in the box?

[richardkelsey]

bergsteiger said:

After competent management of resources and strong leadership, particularly building principals does not work then what will be the excuse?

Could it be the students which attend school in Asbury are just not the sharpest pencils in the box?

I don't think that is the case either. I think the problem is social and familial. Kids from broken homes, single family homes, and poor homes tend, on average, to do worse. When one or more of those factors are combined, they do even worse. In addition, if the kids come from homes where no one has ever even tried, yet alone succeeded academically -- they have no chance.

This is why merely spending money on students can never be the answer.

I was a volunteer in a school with children just like this. I worked with a team of volunteers called "the second grade brigade."

We tutored kids identified for help -- four days a week. Each kid had a different tutor each day, and the organization even got local business to chip in and give taxi rides home to kids being tutored. (Program cost NOTHING). We worked with teacher's chosen materials. Sometimes we just read, sometimes we listened. We used positive encouragement.

The results were remarkable for each one of our kids, many of whom had none English speaking parents working two jobs.

Every kid -- there were 12 -- went from failing on the year beginning assessments, to passing. In some cases, kids went to near the top of the class at the year-end assessment.

Combating these type of social disadvantages -- not the fault of kids, is tough and complicated. But state-sponsored spending on government regulated schools is not the only answer. It must be a collective effort -- particularly where the home life is difficult.

Some people meet in committees and talk about results -- others just go out and do it.

[fiberisgoodforyou]

Rich I am glad you picked up on the FATAL Flaw with Abbott districts Abbots are a sham that leads to funding abuse.

Pouring money into the school systems yet not fixing the culprit issue...socio-economic depravity.

A solid plan of economic recovery and urban development needs to be mandated along with the Abbott funding. This methodology will reestablish entire communities as well as provide a better quality of life that builds up the needed esteem, pride and respect for the good-hard work ethics that drives the desire for good, quality education, which leads to well paying employment which pays a nice home which yields.... a first class quality of life!

How uplifting, yes?

TODAY, we see money being poured into education, and nothing that effects the uplift and mobility of the community. After all these years, some one in Trenton needs be truthful and revisit the reasons for Abbott's, define why the Abbott systems is failing, and resolve to fix whats wrong!

Many Abbott's are on the Nations more dangerous cities to live list, as well as the Nations most segregated Cities list, as well as on the Nations most impoverished cities list.

This is the NJ that Trenton has created over the last 20 plus years.

Most other states, the Urban Centers that are the economic engines and the Suburban - rural zones that benefit from this model, but not in NJ.

NJ Cities are simply FOUL, and the Suburban-Rural Areas that are the economic engines.

Imaging how prosperous NJ would become if we maintain todays positive Economic influence of the Suburban-Rural zones AND BUILT ECONOMICALLY SOLVENT REVENUE ENGINES FROM OUR URBAN CENTERS! Would our property taxes get lower, h'ell yes.

Situated between NYC and Philly, and being the I95 hub for the NE, the only excuse for the failings and Exodus we see today is neglectful mismanagement.