OyOyOy

[Jon_in_london]

Need some help.

Today I saw I letter in our local free-paper saying how he wished to see the day when Schools have all the equiptment they need while the army has to hold a jumble sale to get its equiptment.

How do I answer this ignormamous, bearing in mind that people always want to take money away from the armed forces in times of 'peace' but still cry 'short-sighted politicians' when the ***** hits the fan? Also remembering that the British Army already has to have a jumble sale to get decent kit?

Ta.

(apologies for incoherece, I had an interview earlier and now Im pissed). :p

[davidhorman]

Today I saw I letter in our local free-paper saying how he wished to see the day when Schools have all the equiptment they need while the army has to hold a jumble sale to get its equiptment.

I'd like to see that too, under the assumption that the reason the army is holding this jumble sale is because they no longer have a useful role to play in society because there is no more war/suffering, etc.

David

[Tmy]

Whats a jumble sale?

Here in the US the schools are always whineing that they don't have enough. The school districts are a ravenous money pit always wanting more and more.

[Jon_in_london]

Jumble Sale = car boot sale

= second hand junk sell off.

[Jon_in_london]

Originally posted by davidhorman


I'd like to see that too, under the assumption that the reason the army is holding this jumble sale is because they no longer have a useful role to play in society because there is no more war/suffering, etc.

David

HAha, what have you been drinking?

[Neophyte]

I've seen several cars in the Bay Area sporting a bumper sticker with the same message (with "bake sale" instead of "jumble sale"). It's a pretty misguided sentiment, really. Proper funding for the military and proper funding for education are not mutually exclusive. And IMO most of the problems with public schools, at least in the US, are not due to a lack of funding.

[Pak_43]

Jon,

Schools are now funded differently than they used to be...
They are funded based on the number of pupils they have but the budget is divided into many categories, and the school may not move items placed in one budget into another (eg use money for IT to hire more teachers...)

The net result of this is that more and more schools are actually getting kit they need but unfortunately can't afford the teaching staff they would like...a quick visit round some of the schools in your area will probably yield quite a few nice shiny new IT/Resource areas with nice shiny multimedia kit...and an absence / shortage of Library/Resource centre staff to help them use it...

here's a description of the school funding formula for Hackney...

http://www.learninglive.co.uk/data/services/data/com_reports/9-app%20C%20ii.pdf

If the guy writing the letter isn't aware that schools today are not in fact crying out for kit but are in fact crying out for decently qualified, experienced teachers then he frankly needs to wake up and smell the coffee...

Ask any head-teacher whether he would like a new IT resources centre or another maths or science teacher? No contest....