Volunteers

I posted yesterday about Governor Dayton's brainstorm concerning the need for increased volunteerism on behalf of schools in this state. In the comments, Swiftee and Mrs. D both point out important things:

• Swiftee relates that in some cases, familiarity might breed contempt; and
• Mrs. D relates that in our family's case, that is true.

I remain convinced that the amount of volunteerism in the schools is not an issue. Some teachers welcome the help, while others don't want outsiders in their classrooms. Some schools welcome volunteers, while others treat their volunteers quite shabbily. We live in the Mounds View School District, which is one of the more well-regarded districts in the state. As Mrs. D rightly points out in her comment, she has spent an enormous amount of time volunteering in the schools our children have attended and the results have been mixed, at best.

Personally, I don't think Dayton really wants volunteers. He wants bodies. And he wants money. He won't get more money from the lege, but if he can get companies to pay for computers and whatnot, the currently available money that would be otherwise allocated for computers and other capital expenditures can go into what really matters to Dayton's allies: salaries and benefits.

There's no other way to say this: we spend more money and devote more attention to public education than any other item in this state. And we aren't getting our money's worth. Throwing more money and bodies at the problem isn't going to change that.