> I can't quite buy that it's cheaper to provide them the basic necessities like books, classrooms, and laptops. If unmotivated/uncaring students are constantl

> I can't quite buy that it's cheaper to provide them the basic necessities like books, classrooms, and laptops. If unmotivated/uncaring students are constantly destroying books, and laptops and require more supervision (extra paraprofessionals for example), yes, I can buy that it's cheaper to provide motivated/well-behaved students necessities that they actually care for. My point is that you took a broad spending per pupil number and immediately jumped to the conclusion that the problem was "mismanagement." Show me that the per-pupil numbers are the same and that the rates of consumption (books, etc), disciplinary, poverty/hunger, ESL, etc data are the same, then I might accept the problem is mismanagement. You haven't come close to doing that.