Should Schools be Equal?
Posted by: Toby Fischer in education, issues, technology, tags: education, Equity, fail, Levy, Southwestern City SchoolsI have a question. Should all students have the option of getting an equal education? (Equal does not mean the same). Does anyone really need to think about this? If so, what is there to think about?
The 6th largest district in the state of Ohio, nearly 21,000 K-12 students, failed another levy this week. Attached to that failure is the loss of teachers, athletics, high school busing, band, theater, all after school activities. For some students they lost the reason they come to school in the first place. Some can claim the failure was due to the economy. I don’t because two-thirds of the levies in central Ohio passed the same day. I put part of the blame on sections of the community not putting a value on a quality education for the students who live in the neighboring homes. The big question is, do those people have the right to choose the quality of education our children will receive?
I put the majority of the blame on a broken system. A system that give individuals who feel little or no tie to the local schools the ability to choose the fate of its students. All students deserve a quality education. Not just the ones coming from a community that backs it schools because they know the value of a quality education. While a high school teacher in Southwestern City teaches 155 students a day, teachers in neighboring districts will teach 120, 100 and even some as low as 80.
So, what is the solution? We need to stop relying on property taxes to fund schools. There needs to be a solution in which a set dollar amount is guaranteed to be spent on every student in the state. This amount needs to figure in reasonable loads for teachers based upon university research on class sizes. It needs to include technology. In the 21st century, technology should be ubiquitous in our schools. In Southwestern it is just old and dusty (Some labs have 10 year old computers). This money should include choices for our students. High schools should look more like colleges because of the vast experiences that are offered.
I know life is not fair, but should we be teaching that lesson to our youth through an unfair education system? Only a voice as loud as thousands can make a change to this reality.
Entries (RSS)
May 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Defining “adequate and equitable” education has been an on-going controversy here in Massachusetts. We have a formula to determine how much it costs to “adequately” educate a child that is ridiculously flawed. Then, on top of that, there is a calculation to determine how much the local community can “afford” to pay based on property values and personal income which favors certain communities over others. Overrides and levys cannot be the solution. The discrepancies in what is available for children are vast and while there is a mechanism for our state to provide additional aid to poorer communities, the inequities are pervasive. How can we level the playing field for all kids? Access to technology may be part of the solution.
May 11th, 2009 at 9:11 am
Hey,
I have young cousins and nephews ranging from K-12 and I feel that the education system has taken a turn for the worst. It should not matter where you can afford to live to determine if you will get an decent education. So you can read my suggestions at http://www.slideshare.net/lilxparker/education-industry
It is a plan and a power point presentation.
Xavier Parker
May 12th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Xavier,
Thanks for the resource.
August 3rd, 2009 at 6:08 pm
I blame this on southwest, becasue the last time the levy paseed they lied to the voters and said that no layoffs would happen if we passed this levy. Once the levy passed they laid people off. I don’t like the fact they are holding the voters hostage by threating to pull events after school. I remember the last time they had a levy and my kids were in school at a funtion; the principle stated that if the levy dose not pass this would be one of the things that the kids would lose.