How the Bar Is Laughably Low for US Public Schools

I live in a wealthy, 10/10 grade district, & yet still:

- Kids can retake tests unlimited times until they get an 85+. Why study?

- We worship at the altar of must-stay-high home values

- $48k/year teachers are broke & quitting left & right. Of course they are!

- There are more iPads, Chromebooks and GoPros than there are kids, but teachers are still broke and the schools are begging for money

- It costs parents $900 for kids to take the bus in the afternoon only, but this doesn't make a dent in the budget

- Classes are overcrowded. 1 of 3 of our elementary schools recently closed down due to funding

- Schools are largely funded by property taxes, which are $10k - $40k/year(!!) in this area, but the schools are still broke!

- Football & other sports are doing more than great with regards to funding. We rival many colleges in production value and amenities. Why?

- We've known for decades that kids are getting fatter every year and that highly processed foods are one culprit, but we still feed kids garbage en masse. This was yesterday's lunch:

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What do you think home values would be if we dropped to a 6/10 grade? Incentives are aligned to ensure that can't happen.

I know other states like Florida manage school districts differently. Here in TX the same house next door could be worth 30% more if in a better district.

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Why can't we rely on iPads and football less and pay teachers more? The household income here is over 3x the teachers' salaries! But they don't see any of it.

Why can't kids go outside more and feed our kids real food? Obesity is more expensive than healthy food.

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The teachers, parents and administrators here are good, talented and loving people, but working within and against a broken system.

The US does better than many other countries, but we can do so much better. How? I'm genuinely asking.

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We've never homeschooled, but it's looking more and more tempting every year...