You’ve got to put this in perspective. Yes, two District of Columbia school employees may have spent more than $13,000 in student activity funds on things like an $82.50 bottle of wine and a strip club outing. But it’s not easy working for the D.C. schools these days, especially with all the criticism they’ve received. And compared to the $31.7 million allegedly stolen from the city treasury in an elaborate property tax return scheme, $13,000 seems like pretty small change -- in fact, it’s less than the cost of educating one district student. So, I mean, what’s the big deal?

OK, not very funny. But neither are the stories of fraud and mismanagement that seem to pop up regularly from one of America’s most troubled school system. And it’s especially disturbing to me after I spent more than a year writing a series (Children at Risk) that basically said the nation needs to spend more money on poor children and the schools they attend.

There is corruption in the public sector and in the private sector as well. People predisposed to mistrust the public sector will generalize from examples like those above. Critics of the private sector will point to their Enrons and Tycos.

Certainly, the District of Columbia schools -- and many others -- need to be overhauled; the dead wood pruned, the corruption and sheer incompetence exposed. And, as I said in an earlier blog, I think new school Chancellor Michelle Rhee may be the right person for the job.

But at the same time, I hope people don’t conclude that this is all districts serving disadvantaged students need. If you’re skeptical, look at the Education Trust report, Funding Gaps 2006, which shows that schools serving the nation’s low-income students received far less funding, on average, than those serving advantaged ones. Or read the report Growth and Disparity: A Decade of U.S. Public School Construction 1995-2004, which shows that district with poor students spent thousands less on infrastructure than their wealthy counterparts, and that the money they did spend was more likely to be used on basic repairs rather than educational enhancements.

So, please, keep making the case that schools -- all schools -- need adequate funding. Keep up the campaign. Just don’t use D.C. as your poster child.

Lawrence Hardy, Senior Editor