US education spending is somewhat tied to property taxes[1], Boston in particular has had historically terrible problems with inner city schools being underfunded while the suburbs throw around LCDs and laptops like they're candy - again due to a sort of terrible "the capitalist can do no wrong" ideal in the US a lot of money ends up being wasted by administrators on stupid technology that does nothing to help students learn.

[1] In most places AFAIK, and certainly in all the places I've ever lived