[merrylander]

I guess I am in the camp that says education should be free but it is the responsibility of each district. Howard county, where we live has one of the better systems and ranks high. It costs us about $3,800 each year, not that we have any kids in the system. The last County executive tried to put a $1000 tax on every new home sold, based on the fact that these people came in and used the schools we had already paid for, but it was squashed by the then Republican Governor, no doubt with ample encouragement from the developers.

One of the things that is not helping education is the current attitude in many companies that a 10 hour workday should be the norm (8 hours of work and 2 hours of face time). This leaves little or no time for parent to become involved in the system