This question encompasses a wide range of issues, or aspects of the one issue. I sometimes wonder if there are too many co-teachers (for special Education) in the system I'm affiliated with. It sure seems like a waste to have two certified professionals full-time in a classrom of less than 30 kids, with just one of the teachers actually teaching the subject matter. Another thing that I find somewhat puzzling is why teachers have to spend so much of their own money on things for the classroom (like spare pencils, little educational posters, etc). Again, my frame of reference is the system I teach in. I've also read about school systems that spend profligate amounts of money per studen (Washington, DC is a prime example), with little beneficial result. You can't just throw money at the problem in the hopes of fixing it - teachers have to be good at their job, and the kids have got to be motivated for the money to do any good. I recently read a statistic to the effect that Catholic schools in New York City spend about half as much per pupil as do the public schools, but have astronomically higher graduating rates and higher academic scores.

schools spend way to much money on sports and not enough on achedimics. In Indiana every school is given money by the state for students who pass with achedemic honor's diplomas. Instead of passing at least PART of the money on as scholorships or awards th4 schools are left to spend the money as they see fit. It's suppose to go back into the program but I don't see that happening.