Prop. 123

When I was a recipient of a public education, our state, Nebraska, had well below national average expenditures per student. And yet, Nebraska maintained a graduation rate that was in the too ten for the nation, higher than average attendance (in spite of some nasty weather from time to time) and above average scores in other educational yardsticks of the time.

Current thought and practice regarding education is that one helpful solution would be to increase funding for what is known as an underfunded system. While The state I'm in now, Arizona, may be below other states in funding, I am not convinced that additional money will fix what may be a more complex systemic problem.

I do not fully grasp the details of proposition 123, which promises to increase educational funding with increased revenues from the State Land Trust sales fund using a combination of increased sales and an increase in the percentage of the fund that could be applied and used for education. But,  I do have some concerns about it.

For one, is it a good idea to deplete our trust funds at a higher rate? Is it sustainable, or just a way to put off finding a more lasting solution. Secondly, will tossing more money at education improve our real rates of learning, or is it merely a way to show that we care?

That all being said, since it's for the children, it will most likely pass.

And, here's a link about Nebraska education expenditures just after my learning heyday:

http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1367&context=extensionhist