Originally Posted by blackcat
I don't want to naively beleive that my kid's will suddenly get a good education just by going somewhere else, then be disappointed once again.
There is good and bad in everything. Learning the weaknesses, not to hyper focus on them as a stumbling block, but to understand where our own abilities as parents can compensate/offset/complement the education experience our children receive in any given setting, is key. Resetting our emotional compass during/after a stressful exploration of options with a school, maintaining a growth (not fixed) mindset, role-modeling resilience, striving to understand the constraints within which the opposition is operating... all provide great life lessons for our kids.

Originally Posted by blackcat
... budget... can't get property tax levies to pass here (too many old people with no kids).
If there are "too many old people with no kids" in most public school districts, where would you have these grandparents go?

May we consider the possibility that the "old people with no kids" include boomers who, upon reflecting on their own "cookie cutter" educations, created a plethora of educational options, research, and legislation available for families today? Might we appreciate the many benefits they have provided which are ongoing?

Might these families have paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in property taxes and referenda to support the local public schools over their lifetime? Might they essentially be living in their piggy banks, their homes being their last asset? If the economy improved and there were young families with steady jobs looking to purchase existing homes at the assessed values (upon which property taxes are based), might these empty nesters be willing to sell? If you did not have "too many old people with no kids" living in your district, what demographic would live there instead, and where are they now? Do they have the financial means to purchase these homes, plus pay higher property taxes than are now levied?

Across the nation, as baby boomers retire or are downsized to face an early retirement with no pensions and 401(k) accounts which may have lost half of their value or more during the economic downturn, these grandparents may see the high risk or folly of continuing to tax at ever increasing rates for budgets which are not balanced but create ever increasing deficits for the next generation to pay. There may be wisdom to be gleaned from their financial perspective, before their fate becomes our own.

What percentage of your income are you willing to pay in taxes throughout your lifespan? When you no longer have an income, but are required to continue paying taxes, you will be paying over 100%. When one is paying out more than one is taking in, there is a budget deficit. Our government is in this situation by design; many "old people with no kids" are in this situation despite having planned differently.

Education reform, improving efficiency & efficacy, may yield longer-lasting educational benefits than increasing taxes. One example may be flexible cluster grouping by readiness and ability in each subject, rather than grouping by chronological age.