If you needed evidence that lack of money is not the problem with our schools

Sorry for the long post title, but it pretty explains why I'm including in my blog this long quotation from the Marin Independent Journal:

Poor academic achievement in the Sausalito Marin City School District has rendered the concept of public neighborhood schools largely meaningless as dozens of children in the district, both black and white, flock to private schools.

Even the district's relative wealth – it spends $22,232 per pupil annually, more than three times the state average – is not enough to coax students into the district.

"They are really being deprived of an education," said Marin City resident Catherine Shine, whose youngest daughter, Olivia, 6, attends private St. Patrick School in Larkspur, and oldest, Ashley, 13, briefly attended the district's Willow Creek charter school before attending Mill Valley Middle School.

"These kids are getting a (poor) education and nobody seems to care. I can't figure out where the money goes."

George Stratigos, president of the Sausalito Marin City School District board said Shine's complaint sounds familiar.

"Those were my words from 10 years ago," he said.

Nearly a decade ago, Stratigos led "Project Homecoming," a successful recall campaign of the school board that culminated in his ascent to the position of board president. In an interview at the time, he vowed to change "the long-standing culture of failure of the Sausalito Schools District to a culture for excellence."

***

The district has a long way to go, many parents say.

"I don't want my son to be a petri dish," Sausalito resident Cindi Osborn said of her son, Luke, 3. "I don't want to take a chance that it will get better. It is frustrating that we have such poor public schools that the parents are forced to either move or pay thousands of dollars a year per child for private school, and they continue to pay taxes into a school system that doesn't serve them."

***

In 1990, the school district was evenly split between blacks and whites. Now, just 15 percent of the 283 students is white. [Emphasis mine.]

By the way, this is a story that is repeated in Sausalito Marin City decade after decade after decade. This district always has massive amounts of money thrown at it, with truly abysmal results.