IT'S ALL FOR THE KIDS – NOT – AT 9:16 A.M. ET:  We love to take on the education establishment here.  Who doesn't?  It's such a juicy target.  But few stories I've seen reveal, as much as this one does, the ignorance and arrogance of at least part of that establishment.  The action takes place in New York State, once known as a functioning entity:

The state failed to get a penny in education funds doled out by Washington this week after clueless bureaucrats were dopey enough to admit to the feds they would have blown more than $200,000 on expensive furniture for their offices.

They apparently thought designer chairs, desks and bookcases for themselves were more important than training teachers or turning around failing schools.

The bizarre equipment wish list was so outrageous that three of the five judges who reviewed New York's "Race to the Top" application blasted it in written comments -- focusing on 24 "executive chairs" that cost $550 each, or more than $13,000 total.

State officials also sought 15 regular desks at $3,000 each, nine L-shaped desks at $1,800 a pop and 15 printers that each cost more than $1,500. "There are projected expenses (e.g. $550 for executive chairs) that call into question NY's judgment on responsible stewardship of funds," wrote one reviewer.

Another judge wrote, "These inclusions compromise the state's narrative as a careful steward of public funds."

And New York was once famous for its public education. 

You cannot make this part up:

State education officials said they were hampered by Albany's purchasing rules, which forced them to order supplies from a vendor named CorCraft -- whose goods are made by New York prison inmates.

The inmates do better work than a lot of the educators.

According to the reviewers' comments, New York's application was also hindered by a lack of union support, the looming charter-schools cap of 200, and a data system that has barely gotten off the ground.

COMMENT:  Please note that New York has some of the highest tax rates in the country.

March 31, 2010