Suspend Expectations of Equity in Education

 

  By Kristin

The proposed state budget for Washington suspends some pretty crucial things. 

Everything that's being suspended in education directly affects the ability of public schools to teach disadvantaged kids.  So, here's my proposal to the people of Washington:  if we're going to suspend things like reducing class size and making sure 3-year olds living below the poverty line get quality preschool, then let's also suspend our expectations of equity in public education.  Let's suspend No Child Left Behind.  Let's suspend expectations that every child, even the one who spent his first 15 years in a refugee camp in Chad, needs to pass the WASL.  If we're going to suspend financial support for the programs that help the poorest among us gain equal footing in education, we are fools to think public education is democracy's shining jewel.  Without these programs the poor will sink, because the golden ticket in our society, the thing that helps kids break generational poverty, is a quality education.  The children of some of our neighbors need more help in this area than others.

The actual breakdown can be found in a pdf link in this article of the Seattle Times.  Here are the pertinent cuts as far as public education goes.

• eliminate the k-4 staffing enhancement, which reduces class size in the early grades
• suspend levy equalization assistance that provides support to poor districts
• suspend the student achievement program that provides smaller class sizes and professional development for teachers
• suspend all-day kindergarten in schools with the highest poverty levels
• suspend the state program for gifted education, which affects nearly 23,000 students

If I try to address each one of these I won't sleep tonight.  I'm hoping one of my elementary colleagues here on SFS will address the classroom impact of some other cuts.  I'm going to give you the 10th grade teacher and mom-of-a-kindergartener perspective of only one, and that is the k-4 staffing enhancement. 

I see the benefits of smaller class size in my daughter's kindergarten.  Her teacher has 28 students, which is way too many.  Without some sort of cap, elementary classes might be like high school, where classes (like my 4th period) can have 38 students.  I have a hard time imagining what my daughter's kindergarten experience would be like with 37 classmates.   She'd have to be loud, she'd have to be aggressive, and she'd have to learn to read and write and add all on her own. 

The other position I see this from is as a tenth grade teacher.  Grades K-4 are the reading grades, as well as the grades where children develop their love for school.  Give me a child who had a solid academic experience in grades k-4 and I'll show you a child who can pass the state assessment.  Give me a child who got lost in the shuffle because his second grade teacher had 33 children and I've got a child who will monopolize my time.  If I'm busy teaching this child what a noun is I'm not so busy helping the other children analyze literature.  We need to invest in the foundation years.  If we skimp there now so that we can save a few dollars per household, we'll pay for it when these 3-year olds enter high school.

None of this needs to happen.  Gregoire will propose another budget in January.  It might include a few tax increases.  I'm asking you to approve them.  I'm asking you to loudly, on the community level, approve them.  I'll tell you this: my family doesn't have a lot to spare.  Our house is worth less than we paid, the minivan is on its last legs and Santa's doing his shopping at Value Village this year.  But, I would rather have a tax increase than see an entire generation of children lose access to an equitable education.  If we're not going to put money into the early grades, we might as well give up.  The poor and educationally disadvantaged families of Washington State are counting on the public schools to help their children break the cycle of poverty.  So come on, Washington.  As my students say, it's time to man up.  You want an educated population?  You might need to pay for it.

Comments

[Kristin]

Mark,
I always forget about the bailout, probably as a means of preserving my sense of humor, but you're right. Billions of dollars went towards those companies, much of the money ending up in the pockets of a few, and yet society didn't complain too much.
These "suspensions" are following a series of other suspensions. The COLA was suspended, class size reductions for high school have already been suspended, there are little chips happening again and again, and yet a lot of money is still being spent on the state assessments that enforce accountability.
So you're right. The kids aren't meeting standard, and the solution is hardly to increase elementary class size, reduce pre-K support, reduce staff development, and eliminate all day kindergarten for people who can't pay for it.

[Mark]

YES. The last line is what society needs to hear but is constantly ignoring! If you want to fix it, it will cost money. Everything else in our lives demands money when it is broken. My lawnmower doesn't start (doesn't really matter right now) but I know that even if I fix it myself it will cost money for carb cleaner or even a whole new carb. I cannot fix my lawnmower by proposing a stricter standard for its performance. No matter how hard I yell at it to mow, and now matter how many square acres I demand it to mow, it will not be able to do the job unless I drop a little cash.

I went on a rampage in class the other day about the trillion dollar bailout. If school had been given that money, oh the cries of "but they're mismanaging the money we already give them! they're inefficient! there is too much administrative pay!" Hmmm... big business had all those things in spades and got paid, because fixing the capital system was vital to maintaining the stability of our country, so they spent my grandchildren's future incomes on it. When will they figure out that the same ugly philosophy is the ONLY WAY to "fix" schools? When will they realize that a failing school system is a greater threat to our future stability than a failing auto industry? They've been trying for years to force schools into a factory model...well this factory needs bailed out. NOTHING will change if we only rely upon human capital, we must add cash to the equation or nothing will ever change. If people disagree...then how come we bailed out the corps rather than ONLY asking them to do more with what they had, which is exactly what schools are always asked to do?