School Funding Meltdown

I remind myself daily of what is good in my world. As a counselor, I have had many opportunities to participate in skill building exercises that have helped me to learn to prioritize; not to sweat the small stuff; how to build my self-esteem and the self-esteem of others; how to do mini tension relieving exercises at my desk; how to breathe though my eyes; the power of positive thinking; how to project positive body language; the principles of fung shui; whether I am a warm or cool color; and dozens of other funny and enlightening pop-psychology activities.

After reading my list, you may notice what has been left out. My list does not include the heavy duty courses I have taken or serious seminar topics like abuse, special education, statistics, career counseling, mediation, etc. I think that my coursework and seminars contributed many useful tools that have helped me help others.

Lately, I have come to the realization that there is a huge gap in my education and probably in the educational plan of most potential teachers. I was never offered the opportunity to participate in coursework on school funding. I am pondering my lack of education in this area as I examine some facts about the state of education in PA. This really hit me last week as I was home sick with some crazy sinus infection and had the odd chance of tuning into state education budget hearings on public access TV for the few hours I was semi-conscious. I immediately got the impression that things were not going well for the representatives from the department of education as they presented the results of a costing-out study.

Let me give you the facts that I have discovered about the inequity of school funding in PA:

-School district spending is negatively associated with need. In other words, those students who live in poverty areas receive the least amount of funding.

-Local tax revenues make up about 2/3rds of the local school’s budget and wealthier areas can generate greater revenue while maintaining lower taxes.

-PA contributes 37% of the cost of education. PA is ranked 44th across the US in its contribution rate to our public schools.

-In 1971, PA contributed 54% to the cost of public education. In 2008, an all time low of 34% will be realized.

As the kicker to these frightening statistics:

-PA is ranked 7th (2001 figures) for its contribution to prisons and inmates in the prison system.

Maybe the omission of school budgeting from my educational line-up was a plan to keep the very people providing services in the dark about the overall picture. (I cannot honestly believe that anything that diabolical would occur in higher ed. )Maybe the thought that counselors and teachers don’t need to know and understand the financial conditions and constraints of the industry is commonly accepted. Maybe they all think we should stick to bake sales and car washes!

I am so tired of being the little person tossed by the waves of big business. I think I am in crisis, along with so many other folks, and knowing how to breathe through my eyes is not helping! My alternative is to release that inner, professional beast and let my state representatives know that this “system” is unacceptable if we are serious about educating. Education is my business and I have been remiss.

Just in case, do you have a good recipe for brownies?