Some, repeat "some", of you examples are not germane. Yes it is an opinion but the high school I attended did not have a pool either, nor a football team. Baseball and track we had but they competed for the same athletes, I surmise that the best went to Baseball as Track only had one meet. Our Basketball team was best in conference, Track second best, baseball I never heard.
But having said all of that these are not necessary for education, and yes I was involved in sports. Even lettered.
Education is what goes on in the classroom. Of course the population of an area is going to have a direct result on how much is available for the schools and their spending. Something else that needs to be reformed!

Quote Originally Posted by oww-that-hurt View Post
In the U.S. at this time, the sad answer is no. There isn't even any equality between the dozen school districts in my COUNTY. Take a location, such as Montana, that has local school districts being ran by local school boards with the local taxpayers voting on issues and if approved then the property owners pay taxes for those issues. The more affluent school districts have more educational and sports choices, by voter approval, than the less affluent. Some school districts have swim teams, some school districts don't even have a pool within 100 miles.

The environment for the public schools are very far from any equal footing, as well. Urban, suburban, rural and remote public schools are so unequal in many facets that they really can't be in the same conversation. That is one reason 'nickle-be' will never work; one formula for such a diverse group of circumstances is unreasonable, as noble as some people may feel it might be.

Many school districts are too small to reasonably be required to have a Chemistry teacher, for example. But many times those kids are too far from a school district that has a Chemistry teacher to be bused to. And, since the school district that has the Chemistry teacher isn't supported by taxes for those other school district kids to attend their school, if they decide to accept a limited (key word) number of out-of district kids, they charge tuition. They must. Their budgets aren't built around other school district's kids. I know I sure don't want MY property taxes to pay for school kids from another district. I didn't vote for that. Like Thorne said previously, and I feel the same way concerning this issue "And I don't share." Thanks, Thorne!

So, as it stands now, public education isn't a form of equality. Yeah, we all have the equal opportunity to attend, but that is the end of it.

Damn husbands (me) of long-time school teachers are opinionated!