You have been charges to figure out how to take the money and distribute it across the state for public and charter schools. I am just concerned that despite the best efforts put forth it will be business as usual and the real problem of equity will not be solved.
All
eyes are on Pennsylvania, especially Philadelphia. The budget crisis and its
disastrous outcomes place us in the national news. Everyone wants to know how this
problem will be solved. Because this attack on public education is a national problem. It is one that will adversely affect an entire generation of students,
our children, in the blink of an eye. And the real question is why has it been
allowed to go on for as long as it has.
Up
until November, every organization and individual in Pennsylvania was focused
on the election and making sure that we all voted since every school district
was affected by funding cuts. Now what? Now that we have a new governor what
does that mean? Now that we have a cigarette tax that unfortunately will only
pay for new charter school approvals, now what?Now that a basic education funding commission has been called to solve the budget crisis. Now what?
Dr.
Yohuro Williams a professor at Fairfield University and a member of BATS
(Badass Teachers Association) reminded me of a paper written by Dr. Martin
Luther King Jr during a speech he gave at the first convening of the Caucus of
Working Educators that was written while King was still a student at Morehouse
in 1947. He predicted that, “Even the press, the classroom, the platform, and
the pulpit in many instances do not give us objective and unbiased truths.” And
continued, “That education has a two-fold function to perform in the life of
man and in society: the one is utility and the other is culture. Education must
enable a man to become more efficient, to achieve with increasing facility the
legitimate goals of his life.”
In
order for this process to lead to real change, we all must be willing to be
honest and transparent as we work towards making the steps necessary to usher
in this budget solution. If we continue to support an environment where the
“us” and “them” cannot exist on the same playing field then we will continue to
not have a fair and appropriate public education, and continue to break the
laws that were put in place to protect our children and their right to an
education.
We
have to also make sure that when the magical monies are found that we do not
spend it on items and services and entities that do not serve our children or
communities. Every school should have a full liberal arts education, one that
encourages critical thinking and processing. Not just a few project-based
learning schools with “innovative” ideas but every school. You see, when every
child in every school gets what they deserve then there is no need for
innovation or redesign. When you make the extraordinary the new normal, it will
result in sustainable change. It is also vital that all voices are actually
heard. Not just hold meetings and hearing to say that you did, and continue to
make selfish decisions based on corporate connections and handouts. But
actually take notes and fold them into the decision making process.Schools should not have $160 on the budget line for the entire school year.
Since
monies are the topic of discussion, the current tax breaks afforded to
businesses throughout the state of Pennsylvania should be revisited so that
more actual dollars can flow back into actual services. If you are thinking
that this will never work, just remember what life was like for America when we
actually had checks and balances between Wall Street and Main Street. It is the
very reason that we were able to build railroads, the Hoover Dam, maintain
highways, infrastructure and fully support union jobs.And the charter school reimbursement should be reinstated to close the divide.
Corporate
intentions have always and will always be to make money. We have seen these
“altruistic” intentions close schools, pit communities against each other, choke the joy our of learning with standardized testing, and support the pipeline to prison.
The
United States has an “us” and “them” syndrome and it permeates all of our
decisions and processes. There are Republicans and Democrats. There are college
graduates and high school dropouts. There are the poor and the rich. There are
women and men. There are blacks and whites. There are smart ones and troubled
ones. There are welfare recipients and CEOs. There are public schools and
charter schools. There are private and public. The list of brokenness always
takes sides and no one wins especially our children.
The
push for higher scores and accountability is inappropriately a battle to help
out children Race to the Top. Unfortunately, in this race a bottom is clearly
defined with the invisible ones. The ones who are disenfranchised, disengaged,
and eventually misled by a high test score and a shiny new building that is not
equally yoked with intelligence or the ability to think.
Remember
the words of Dr. King, “Intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus
character--that is the goal of true education.”
