The crisis in Brazilian public education is the subject of various studies and debates about its origin and permanence. The media often claim, based on studies, that Brazil spends a lot on education, but doesn't get the expected results. In this context, we analyze the perspective of the Brazilian philosopher and educator Dermeval Saviani with regard to this problem, its mishaps and the questions that arise. Is the crisis in Brazilian public education a pedagogical-ideological problem, a political-economic problem or just a problem of poor resource management? Or are all these elements intertwined, but to what extent? To this end, we will analyze Saviani's perspective, through his Historical-Critical Pedagogy, and the neoliberal perspective, through World Bank reports, on this phenomenon. In this way, the methodology used will be mainly bibliographical, considering the objectives pursued. Therefore, this work is recommended for anyone interested in learning more about the main issues surrounding this precious topic for Brazilian society in a more complete, detailed and critical way.