The wasteful spending that runs rampant through Baltimore’s school system is not a shock

I congratulate the Baltimore Sun for publishing this story that exposes the tip of the iceberg of waste that dominates Baltimore’s public school system. If any media outlet were to dig just a little bit they could expose much more. None of this should come as a shock. The Baltimore City School system has a billion dollar budget and you see the results it produces. The money has to go some place. The people who are in charge of this mess are taking full advantage of the situation while those at the lower levels rot.

Some people in Baltimore are going to try and use this story as an excuse for the state to give control of the school system to the city or as a justification for an elected school board. Do not fall into these traps. If the city takes over the school system then another group of connected individuals will benefit instead of the current group.  If the school board becomes a bunch of politicians and their connections then they will find a way to blow the billion dollars on their buddies and favorite restaurants.

Those who stole from the school system need to be fired and prosecuted. An example needs to be made so the many corrupt employees of the school system learn that they can not get away with this without a real punishment. The entire school system budget needs to be published online so the public and media can examine it and expose the middle management waste that is clearly causing major issues.

The school system needs to get leaner, more schools need to be closed and consolidated, more middle management needs to be eliminated, there should not be a long process to fire a school employee, and empty school facilities should be sold to private entities. Get rid of the leech employees who are just there for a bloated paycheck. How much is the school system paying to maintain empty or mostly empty buildings?

My ideas are just starters. The school system needs radical changes and ideas. Real transparency is needed. Every single school transaction should be posted online within 24 hours of being paid for by the system.