Bookworm links to a story from the Marin Independent—Journal of Marin County, California, on the continuing, even accelerating problems in the Sausalito—Marin City Schools, which spend over $22,000 per student yet yield such terrible results that students are fleeing for private and parochial schools which spend a fraction of that amount.

The school district includes wealthy Sausalito, with its yacht harbor and hillside houses, where very few families live, but much tax revenue is raised. The other half is Marin City, actually a housing development built to house workers in the ship yard which built Liberty Ships in World War II. Although Marin City is pursuing redevlopment, the populace is largely poor and black, and violence and drug dealing are reported to be major problems. The school district is now 85% black.

Even though a reform school board was installed with promises to bring quality education, nothing has happened. However, given that Marin County is notorious for over—the—top liberalism, that whites there are loath to suggest anything which might be imputed as racist, and that nobody seems to be willing to fire existing administrators and teachers, the pathologies continue to rage on, with children the victims of a lethal cocktail of dysfunctional welfare/social policies and wealthy out—of touch liberals content to write large property tax checks, nevermind how the money is spent.

Utah, meanwhile, which is near the bottom in per capita spending on schools, but which is rich in conservative thinking and concepts of self—help and personal responsibility, is near the top in educational results.

The next time a liberal says we are underfunding schools, google Sausalito+schools and hit 'em with the facts.

Thomas Lifson   6 12 06