Friday, November 18, 2005
Education First
There's a new education initiative sweeping the country called Education First. The plan, created by the founder of Overstock.com, requires school boards to devote 65% of their budget solely to in-class expenses. These are defined as:
Classroom Teachers, Personnel
General Instruction Supplies
Instructional Aides
Activities -- Field Trips, Athletics, Music, Arts
Private Institutions for Special Needs Students
Teacher Training & Curriculum
The remaining 35% must be used to fund all out-of-classroom expenses. This includes:
Administration
Plant Operations & Maintenance
Food Services
Transportation
Instructional Support Including Librarians
Student Support -- Nurses, Counselors
While I applaud the shift towards improving teacher's salaries, isn't this just a shell game that solves nothing. While improving in one area, these cuts will lead a crumbling of the basic infrastructures of school grounds and buildings, a shift from nutritionally balanced meal programs to lunches provided by fast-food vendors, breakdowns in the bus systems, and lack of proper psychlogoical and health support fro school students. Throwing money willy-nilly into one area and giving no discretion on what other areas of the school need is a recipe for disaster (I would think Katrina at the very least would have proven this lesson).
Maybe schools can find a way to cut corners. Get the kids to clean up their own messes. That would save a few bucks.
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