>>So their solution for being to stupid to budget money properly was to rob all the kids of 20% of their education - which to me seems crazy as you're sort of propagating the stupidity further by not teaching the kids. Yeah don't think I want the states having too much control here - and hey it's not that I'm against states rights - but sometimes there is a need for the feds to be running the show to set proper standards, and in this case - assuming you don't have someone like Betsy DeVos running the show, I pick the feds over the states.

Sorry, meant to be addressed to Victor: as a consummate noser-around, while in Hawaii recently I took an interest in healthcare funding that connected to education in Honolulu for reasons I'm sure you know. I encountered a theme that for years teachers in Honolulu have had low morale, that there has been such a teacher shortage that some schools have been employing unqualified teachers to act as little better than babysitters, that kids wag school without consequence, that too many Hawaiians leave school without even a proper basic education, that this has been covered up and denied to the huge disadvantage of students. Is that your perception? If so, who is best placed to improve it - a fed in a Washington office or a task force appointed by the state governor? Yeah I know that's loaded since the governor's taskforce already exists and has done good things- but wouldn't you agree with DeVos that local empowerment can have good results? I get your point that you need central control of curriculum and standards so people can't start teaching dogma or discriminating on gender, but what's wrong with a local taskforce with sensible members engaging positively with teachers and communities to come up with an island solution that plays to local strengths and doesn't waste time on grizzly bear decrees? ;-)