Is there any surprise that the state with the biggest achievement gap has three out of the top 1o wealthiest school districts — Darien, Weston and New Canaan? 24/7 Wall Street looked at census data to compile the unsurprising ranking:
1) Scarsdale Union Free School District, N.Y.
2) Weston School District, Conn.
3) Riverdale School District, Ore.
4) Chappaqua Central School District, N.Y.
5) Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District, N.Y.
6) Byram Hills Central School District, N.Y.
7) Edgemont Union Free School District, N.Y.
8) New Canaan School District, Conn.
9) Bronxville Union Free School District, N.Y.
10) Darien School District, Conn.
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17 Responses to America’s Richest School Districts: CT Has 3 On List
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Well, I guess we have to tell the parents in those towns to stop investing in education, stop making their kids study, and let the scores fall so there will no longer be an achievement gap.
And still, all will continue to receive the state educational grants designed to level the playing field. Weston will receive $848,564, New Canaan $2,091,544 and Darien $1,616,600.
To address AM’s snide remark, it’s not about discouraging the rich towns and wealthy families, it’s about encouraging and addressing those most in need so everyone has a chance to suceed. Can’t imagine anyone who could find fault with that.
@Ed,
Does the fact that there are winners and losers bother you? Do you want everyone to get a trophy? Sorry bub…but if you can afford a home in Weston, New Canaan, or Darien…you are most likey doing something right…perhaps doing whatever you do very well. Not everyone can afford to drive a Lexus or BMW. How has Obama’s redistribution worked out so far?
Well, you’re saying that those towns “receive” that much money without saying how much they actually put in…which is far more. Failing districts get far more money than those above towns (which I don’t disagree with)without putting in as much. Do you think Darien and New Canaan should receive NO return?
If creating an equal education is the state’s job, isn’t that what the state should be doing, AM?
Since when does throwing money at something make it better? It would be interesting to compare the stats of well to do school districts vs other towns and see how parental involvement stacks up side by side. Only fruitcake liberals think throwing money at a situation can fix what’s broken.
You don’t do it by making the good schools worse even though that the easiest way to do so. West Hartford gets less money than Hartford does from the state. Are you saying you shouldn’t be allowed to vote to increase your property taxes to make up for those state given gaps in your childrens’ education?
Equal education or equal outcomes? This is the question. Equal opportunity to succeed in school? Equal childhoods? Equal parents? All Teachers get treated equally? Good, bad or indifferent?
What I said. Equal education.
Again, HOW??? If West Hartford doesn’t have to spend their money on the services needed in urban school, should we not allow them to spend it on things that advance their education?
Why does the government reward school districts that don’t need the money with more money. Is it so they can stay on top? This is where the inequality comes into play, and why our educational system is failing. The standardized tests that school students take reward the highest scoring schools with more money and resources while struggling rural schools, and inner city schools can’t afford to give childeren school books that they can take home. They have to leave the books at school, and often don’t have a computer or internet access to do school work. The Department of Education at state and federal levels need a hot coffe enema to wake them up and start thinking straight.
Those districts pay 87% of their education costs and get some redistribution from a variety of programs both state and federal to offset the other 13%.
Do you really believe spending that 13% in Hartford would change things? There’s 10,000 students in those 3 districts and we are talking about $2.5 million total including special education grants and technology grants and facility grants and other incentive programs that aren;t local funded. We could transfer $500,000 to each of the 5 worst Districts so the Central Offices could pad their salary structure.
Then again CT could land $300 million in ‘Race to the Top’ funding if the teacher unions and Democrats didn’t conspire to block it and then try to pass the shortfall back as tax increases to the private sector workers.
Racketeering. That’s the problem. It isn’t wealth distribution.
Equal education is a worthwhile goal but education isn’t a basic need whereas food, shelter, safety and love are. Level that first, then we can get to education.
This is a really good point Rick.
Funding the lowest performing schools to basic levels of compliance with need for special education and English Language Learner services would go a long way to evening the playing field. While yes, many of the lowest performing schools have access to funding that schools in wealthier districts do not, they often operate with far greater need for Tier 2 and Tier 3 services because they tend to serve a far greater percentage of students that are below grade level, are still learning English, and/or live transient lives that have not allowed their education to have any consistency. Servicing these students takes more work, in any district, but yes, funding additional interventionists and ELL teachers in these kinds of schools would make a huge impact towards closing that achievement gap.
No ones proven that yet.
Taxpayers keep asking for a proof of concept. Prove it works. Prove you have the formula down. Prove the results are better than a well run Charter School like Jumoke.
Then the conversation shifts to testing and accountability as poor indicators of success. “Give us more money and don’t ask us to guarantee any results” the teacher union cries. “Testing is so unfair!” Just give us more money! Waaah.
Richard, even you could turn around scores if you were able to select students, get rid of them for bad performance and collect private funds – like Jumoke does.