At What Cost?

4% a year raises for teachers. Increased spending. Capital improvements. New buildings. And the final result?

• Chicago Public School students barely budged on fourth- and eighth-grade national math tests this year, despite a six-year push to improve mathematics instruction, federal data released today indicates.

  CPS fourth and eighth graders posted the 10th highest scores among students of 18 big-city districts that gave their students the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress, often called the “Nation’s Report Card.’’

  Chicago inched up slightly from 2007, the last time the test was given, but not to any statistically significant degree — a pattern common among many big cities tested.

On the other hand, crime is supposedly down. We'll have yet another year of sub-500 homicides if trends continue (even if shootings are way up). Property crime is being reduced (on paper). Police responding to calls hours later due to manpower shortages means frustrated citizens aren't sticking around to report as many assaults, batteries or stick-ups. We're operating at least 600 officers short on paper and probably more in actual street officers. But we can't get a contract. At least we're getting results.

Maybe the teachers should give some money back?