All across the country this week people hit the polls to vote on their perspective school budgets. And as usual many of the schools did not pass. Really people? How is that possible? Are our children not worth the few extra dollars that would have been tacked on to our taxes? Are we content with letting the children of this country fall further and further behind in education?
Let us look at this from a handful of different angles...
1) Special Education - Special Education has changed drastically in the last decade. When I went to school these poor children were given some crayons and left in room for seven hours. The field of Special Ed has advanced by leaps and bounds since then. These teachers do everything from getting these kids to read and write, proper situational behavior all the way to prepare them for life after school. Some of these teachers play the role of instructor, parent and doctor. If these cuts are made... what is to happpen to these children?
2) Electives - When budgets fail, the arts will also suffer. So I ask you; what about the students who do not excel in accademics and athletics? Some of these children receive little to no praise in any other aspect of thier life but may be gifted when it comes to music or painting. It is their one chance to shine, to be seen as special. It is also a chance for some of these students to get scholorships that otherwise would not be available to them. You start taking these options away from our children and you are stifling them, you are limiting their chances for success in a field that they may have otherwise been great at.
3) Those whose children have already graduated - Many people feel like they do not have to continue paying into the district because they no longer have children in the school system. So, it was fine when your child had all of these resources available to them but you could care less if it is there for your neighbors child? School districts should go only one way... forward.
I was an awful student and did not utilize one tenth of the resources that were avaiable to me... my loss. I had many classmates who took full advantage of these opportunites and ran with it, and good for them, that is why it was there. I am just forced to laugh at the people who have money when it comes to that extra six pack or that pack of smokes at ten dollars a day but close their wallet when asked to pitch in for the future of this country. Just think about this the next time those ballots are being cast... a generation ago we would never have imagined buying our cars and electronics from another country. We would never have guessed that our kids would be second to any. Keep this up and soon we will be adopting teenage children from other countries just because they are smarter than ours.
Is it hot in here or am I Crazy?
i partially agree, yes children education will determine all of our futures. perhaps its not the taxpayers selfishness but rather the school districts greed. i understand in recent yrs many teachers have taken paycuts. that aside. why suddenly r there a dean of students? is that $150,000 salary needed? how do u possibly justify half a million dollars a yr for superintendant. isnt that a part time position? how many other posts or jobs does this politician hold? how many pensions? how many others r still collecting on these positions? we all have tightened our belts, gone without raises and keep accepting less.there has to come a point when u say no.
ReplyDeleteSimple solution cut the defense budget and increase education budget. But don't count on that to happen.
ReplyDelete