A BILLION DOLLARS JUST FOR LOCAL EDUCATION FOR ONE YEAR

School Boards used to be part time. Trustees were volunteers. Teachers were paid minimum wages. Schools were wooden one story structures with wood burning fireplaces. And guess what students managed to learn to read and write and do basic mathematics. Some even excelled and a few lucky ones went on to university.

Today we are still having similar student outcomes although many more go to university if for no other reason to keep them out of the workforce for a few more years. In 2015 Waterloo Region public and Catholic School Borads spent $994 million dollars. This current year according to the June 17, 2016 Waterloo Region Record article titled "Local education spending climbs past $1 billion", our two local boards will spend a little over a billion dollars.

Politics, teachers unions, empire building, costs of schools, full time administrators, maintenance costs, inflation and everything else remotely possible has added to this burgeoning growth industry. Health and education costs are out of control. Taxpayers wages are sliding backwards while our expenses keep rising. Funny how some few people continue to do well at the expense of all the rest of us.