WHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM?

WHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM?

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

There is a move afoot here in Green Bay, Wisconsin to borrow $20,000,000, and as they say, “that ain’t hay.” The story connected with the $20,000,000 appeared in the Green Bay Press Gazette and was authored by Patti Zarling. There’ll be a tax referendum on April 1^st 2014, a day before my 48^th wedding anniversary…..and a day after April FOOL’S Day! Wow, you’d think that the school authorities could have picked a better day for such an important issue.

There are 514 Wisconsin high, 388 middle, and 1,239 elementary schools in Wisconsin that total to 2,285 educational points. These schools are responsible for the education of 879,825 students, of which 453,955 are male, and 425,870 are female. The racial break-down is 29,659 Asian-Pacific, American Indian-Alaskan, 12,742, 92,546 blacks, 51,298 Hispanic, and 693,580 whites.

The Green Bay schools need for $20,000,000 is just the tip of the iceberg with regards to public school maintenance. The $20,000,000 that has been deemed necessary by school administrators is for just six elementary schools. The Green Bay public school district includes a total of 26 elementary, 5 middle, and 4 high schools.

I realize that the Green Bay public schools have engineers on staff that suggest repair, replacement, and maintain the buildings and grounds of each of the Green Bay schools. Atmosphere of the learning environment is important, not only to pupils, but instructors and administrative staff as well. Gone are the days of the one room school, where the barest of necessities were used, books, a desk seat, some paper and pencils.

HOW ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES FUNDED

“That is a very good question, and I’m glad that you asked,” guess what; the question of how schools are funded does not have a simple answer…..surprise, surprise, surprise. Schools in the U.S. are funded in accordance with the level of the school. Private schools are funded through private donations scholarships, and alumni gifts.

As state governments cut school budgets, public schools are increasingly looking to develop alumni and booster clubs that subsidize school program costs in all sorts of creative ways. However…..at the end of the day, public schools get most of their operating funds from the same sources, federal, state, and local taxation that they’ve been tapping for decades.  

The role of the federal government in education is limited and indirect, direct regulation of education is a power reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, (because the Constitution does not explicitly or implicitly give the federal government authority to regulate education.) However any public or private school that accepts educational funding from the United States government, such as Pell Grants, or Stafford Loans, (usually for college only) by accepting those funds or participating in the particular federal program, subjects itself to federal jurisdiction to the extent of that participation.

The first public taxpayer supported school in the United States was established in 1644, and was located in Dedham, Massachusetts. Today in the United States, 88% of students attend public schools, compared with 9% who attend parochial schools, 2% are home schooled, and 1% attend private independent schools.

Today there is almost an assault on public schools, and like somebody said, “size does matter,” well when people start talking about school funding…..”Money does matter.” From the top to the bottom of governments, each tries to lay its hands on educational funding. A cut here, a snip there, and pretty quick you’ve cut millions out of the educational budget…..and that can’t be good.

I always listen dubiously whenever a conservative talks about the shape of the educational programs in his state, region, or city. I simply can’t understand how having fewer teachers, and offering less (hands on instruction and teaching) can be a good thing for the kids.

At the end of the day, what we’re talking about here…..when it comes to supporting educational opportunities for our kids is sadly a very simple issue, suburbs refuse to give any of their tax dollars, (whenever possible) to inter-city schools or some rural educational systems.

It’s like my Mother used to say, “Paul clean your room, you have 5 minutes,” talk about setting me up for failure, I hadn’t cleaned my room in weeks, and she knew, and I knew that the job was gonna take hours to complete.

Without the proper funding, without the proper effort, schools are going to fail, and kids will miss out on gaining the very best education that they need, and deserve. And if that is the case, well pal, we’ll all be losing out.

IN THE END IT’S A RACIAL AND A CLASS THING

The back of my neck gets out and bothered every time there’s a discussing about school funding, where it’s coming from, and what it’ll be spent on. There are many schools right here in good old Middle America that is crumbling down around themselves. The six schools in the elementary system here in Green Bay that’ll need part of the $20,000,000 will be upgrading their heating systems, and INSTALLING AIR CONDITIONING because they don’t have it.

Revenue cuts mean increased class sizes, teacher aid cut-backs, smaller school districts here in Wisconsin are on the verge of collapse, and educational standards aren’t high enough to adequately prepare our kids for success in the global economy of 2015 and thereafter.

It costs around $8,600 per student per year here in Wisconsin, it doesn’t take long to reach a million dollars, and then two, three, four…..well you get the idea. When repair, remodel, and maintenance enter into the equation, $20,000,000 comes and then goes almost in a heartbeat.

And the Taxpayers Association talks about (not borrowing funds for remodels,) okay, exactly where do those funds come from? Maybe we can pull together and sell billboard advertisement on the sides of our school buildings like they do at sports facilities.

If the students here in the inter city schools of Green Bay needed (sun-block) or they’d get a sunburn, and if they all spoke English, you’d better believe that somehow the funds would be raised to get A.C. in the schools.

HAVE A NICE DAY!