5 ms·

This is true, but I think the U.S.' education spending doesn't just go towards academics but extracurricular activities (sports, the arts, dances/events, facili

by jmduke 13y ago

This is true, but I think the U.S.' education spending doesn't just go towards academics but extracurricular activities (sports, the arts, dances/events, facilities + infrastructure) to an extent further than that of other countries.

rdouble 13y ago
The extra spending mostly goes to services for special needs students, followed by inflated salaries for administrators, then programs for the poor, like school lunches and school nurses, then infrastructure. Dances/events are usually funded by fundraisers. Although an exorbitant amount of money is spent on sports, they also have a lot of funding from booster clubs and fundraisers. Schools do get stuck paying for extra sports staff, and sports facilities. Sometimes a wealthy donor will spring for a giant football field. That actually sets a bad precedent, because then neighboring towns feel they need to spend more on their sports facilities. Arts and music programs receive almost no money from any source and are cut every year.
rayiner 13y ago
Sports at schools mostly pay for themselves (usually with football subsidizing all the other ones). Dances and events are usually not paid out of official school funds, but rather money raised by PTA's. I don't know why U.S. facilities would cost more than those in other countries.
- rdouble 13y ago
  US schools usually include sports facilities which are very expensive. My sister moved to Australia, which is about as similar to the US as it gets for a foreign country, and the schools have no equivalent of a Texas football stadium or Minnesota hockey arena. I don't think there is any other country that spends so much on public school facilities.
- glesica 13y ago
  This may be true for a few of the largest universities, but it is certainly not true for middle schools and high schools, which is really what this discussion is about.

by jmduke 13y ago

rdouble 13y ago

The extra spending mostly goes to services for special needs students, followed by inflated salaries for administrators, then programs for the poor, like school lunches and school nurses, then infrastructure. Dances/events are usually funded by fundraisers. Although an exorbitant amount of money is spent on sports, they also have a lot of funding from booster clubs and fundraisers. Schools do get stuck paying for extra sports staff, and sports facilities. Sometimes a wealthy donor will spring for a giant football field. That actually sets a bad precedent, because then neighboring towns feel they need to spend more on their sports facilities. Arts and music programs receive almost no money from any source and are cut every year.

rayiner 13y ago

Sports at schools mostly pay for themselves (usually with football subsidizing all the other ones). Dances and events are usually not paid out of official school funds, but rather money raised by PTA's. I don't know why U.S. facilities would cost more than those in other countries.

rdouble 13y ago
US schools usually include sports facilities which are very expensive. My sister moved to Australia, which is about as similar to the US as it gets for a foreign country, and the schools have no equivalent of a Texas football stadium or Minnesota hockey arena. I don't think there is any other country that spends so much on public school facilities.
glesica 13y ago
This may be true for a few of the largest universities, but it is certainly not true for middle schools and high schools, which is really what this discussion is about.