Governor Rendell wants to reduce the number of school districts in PA from 500 to about 100. He says this will save the taxpayer money by eliminating some local administrative positions. There is the claim that consolidation would provide better services, especially for programs like ESOL (English as a Second Language) which is usually only provided in larger districts like Allentown. I have heard that kids from surrounding districts already attend Allentown schools for ESOL programs and special needs programs, so I don't know if consolidation would really change anything in the ASD. Consolidation would also provide better equity from school to school since property taxes would be more fairly distributed. This is good news since every child should have the right to an equal education. Sounds like a good deal, but there are some concerns I have about such changes taking place so quickly.Will making schools an even bigger bureaucracy really save the taxpayer money, and is there enough research to prove this? Consolidation may help rural students get the services they need, but is there evidence suggesting that consolidation will provide better services for all kids? And with all this focus on saving the taxpayer money, have we lost sight of what is so important, and that's the QUALITY of education for our KIDS?
Rep. Karen Beyer says in The Morning Call that "the creation of large districts allows a more standardized curriculum across a region." Good God, is that what we really want, MORE standardization? A "one size fits all" education for our kids? Just mix that in with the already stifling NCLB "teaching to the test" curriculum and it's a recipe for disaster. This is why decisions about education need to be made by experienced teachers, not politicians or CEOs.
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8 comments:
There is an article in today's Morning Call about Parkland's wonderful technology program, with a picture of a second grader using a computer in class. My son is in the ASD and there are no working computers in his class. Maybe consolidation will bring computers to the poorer districts? ALL kids should have EQUAL access to computers in 2009.
NCLB "teaching to the test"
What's up with this? Whoever thought this was a good idea?
"Consolidation would also provide better equity from school to school since property taxes would be more fairly distributed."
I'm skeptical of the governor's idea, but I think this would be the best part about it. We all pay into one pot for state and federal taxes, yet schools are so locally funded. Share the money, share the level of education. A child should not be penalized because they reside in a poor district.
As a property owner (and parent) in the Parkland SD, I beg to differ with the "share the money" approach. If you want computers in the ASD, then lobby your own taxpayer base. Parkland's residents (typicallY) worked very hard to get here, and we have no intentions of "sharing" our wealth with others who cannot help themselves. Harsh? Yes. But that's reality.
I disagree. Kids that are born into poverty should be given an equal chance at a quality education. That's reality. And in the long run giving these kids the opportunity will benefit ALL of us in the future because they will go on to college. Education benefits society as a whole.
"in the long run giving these kids the opportunity will benefit ALL of us in the future because they will go on to college. Education benefits society as a whole."
Right on!
It's actually weird that our districts are locally funded. Many across the country at least fund on a county level. I feel for the PSD and EPSD parents who moved thre for good schools, but the entire system is flawed.
"Public" education should not be capitalized by hingeing the quality of education on the local tax base's property values. It creates an inescapable cycle where kids from poor districts continually receive the cheapest education in classrooms that lack resources, forever keeping them in the poorer neighborhoods and limiting their platform for achievement.
Thank God we don't repair highways or install public water only where the locals can afford it - it is shared for good reason.
I have seen the HUGE difference from district to district. It was the first thing that really struck me as unfair and unjust when I started visiting different school districts for field experience. And then when I student taught and later got a position in Allentown I had a budget of a mere 100 dollars to buy art supplies for close to 300 kids, I thought about all the extra stuff collecting dust in the HUGE supply closets of other districts. (and those closets were connected to actual art rooms!)
Why NCLB is bad:
http://nochildleft.com/
index.html
I am disappointed that some education funding had to be cut from the stimulus bill. For example, funding for construction of new schools. I believe Head Start funding was cut too.
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