In the Red

This past week I was in charge of an accreditation visit to my school. This preparation included attending a meeting (one day gone from campus), spending hundreds of dollars on "the right surveys", and wasting time of my teachers, staff, business owners, parents, and district personnel. All to put on a "dog and pony show" to four people who've never been in our school and most likely won't ever be back. Our school passed with flying colors, but I had to wonder how much money this process took. On our end we spent money on paper, copies, a lot of food, and "production time" because our teachers had to use their conference periods to talk to the committee. I'm sure the committee members made something for their time. And I'm sure there are millions spent each year to fund this entire process. Is it really necessary? What did this accreditation accomplish for a public school under the thumb of NCLB pressure? When I think about school finance, I get upset at the waste. This entire process that lasted two days, but took six months to prepare for, ended with very superficial suggestions for our campus. Ironically, these improvements cost money that isn't available. I wonder if it would be if money wan't wasted on worthless endeavors like an accreditation visit.