Obscene drop out rates are coinciding with high school graduates who are unfit for employment and require remediation upon transfer to college. These outcomes reveal that California schools are not serving a large number of students. Instead of giving administrators blank checks with no strings attached, administrators need to demonstrate that they are using public funding to engage and educate all students. Rigorous career technology education (CTE) programs are among many ways that provide better alternatives to the current system that is focused upon providing irrelevant courses focused upon teaching students to pass standardized tests. Yet, CTE and similar types of applied academic programs are the types of programs that have been drastically cut to support the current failed system. It's time to examine why public schools are failing students. It is hoped subsequent articles will investigate what is being done with all the money that is provided to schools and why current programs are not adequately preparing a lager segment of students for life.