Post by Logan on May 8, 2016 6:10:59 GMT -6
During this season of school budgets and the associated discussions, conversations and debates, I feel as though a bit of background and context will be invaluable to taxpayers, town managers, boards of education and selectpeople. All of the stakeholders will be trying to navigate the treacherous waters of financial responsibility and responsiveness to the needs of both the educational community and the community on whole.
As an educator and a local union leader (for the sake of full disclosure), I have watched my local board of education struggle with balancing the growing needs of the student population and the burden of increasing local property taxes. The situation appears to pit local citizenry against the local school district, which is a no-win situation for anyone.
Many community members support the local school district. Shortchanging education has significant implications for the ability to prepare students for their futures. Overtaxing the local population can lead to a populace that turns against education and educators and furthers the sentiment that many people in the local economy have no expendable income.
Why has this happened to larger extents through the past decade? There is a simple reason. The state has a mandate to fund at least 55 percent of the education costs of the public school districts and 100 percent of the special education expenses. Currently, that mandate is unmet, with general education funding at approximately 47 percent and special education coverage at less than 40 percent.
Read more: www.sunjournal.com/news/columns-analysis/2016/05/08/education-funding-mandate-being-ignored/1917777
As an educator and a local union leader (for the sake of full disclosure), I have watched my local board of education struggle with balancing the growing needs of the student population and the burden of increasing local property taxes. The situation appears to pit local citizenry against the local school district, which is a no-win situation for anyone.
Many community members support the local school district. Shortchanging education has significant implications for the ability to prepare students for their futures. Overtaxing the local population can lead to a populace that turns against education and educators and furthers the sentiment that many people in the local economy have no expendable income.
Why has this happened to larger extents through the past decade? There is a simple reason. The state has a mandate to fund at least 55 percent of the education costs of the public school districts and 100 percent of the special education expenses. Currently, that mandate is unmet, with general education funding at approximately 47 percent and special education coverage at less than 40 percent.
Read more: www.sunjournal.com/news/columns-analysis/2016/05/08/education-funding-mandate-being-ignored/1917777