Public school funding 'experiment' begins with high stakes for Harrisburg

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The new school year began this week for many students in the region. And amid all the start-of-the-school year excitement, the stakes this year are much higher than they were just 12 months ago.
Since then, a new governor and an emboldened Republican Legislature swept into Harrisburg, bringing with them a state budget that significantly reduced funding for most public schools. The budget was adopted at the end of June, but the first real effect of Gov. Tom Corbett's and legislators' plans will be felt this week and beyond as students return to schools to find fewer teachers, teachers' aides, tutors, course offerings, and other programs and personnel that got the axe when local school boards made the hard decisions forced upon them by leaders in Harrisburg.
Locally, many class sizes are larger thanks to the cuts. The home economics and elementary art programs are gone at the Union School District, and the elementary music program was essentially cut in half. In the Redbank Valley School District, a number of staff furloughs came as a result of both the budget cuts as well as the district's move to close one of its elementary schools.
Local school administrators and dedicated teachers have shown they are committed to making the best of the situation - and we have no doubt they will work harder than ever to give our pupils what they need for success.
The reality, however, is that the cuts will impact many area students, especially those in need of extra help and those who get little support and supplemental education at home. The fact is that larger class sizes will result in less individual attention, even if it's only a few minutes a day per student.
And so, a close eye will be on our public schools, not only to make sure they are doing everything they can to help our students, but to see just how wise Corbett and the Republican lawmakers were when they passed a spending plan that slashed education and human services funding, while boosting dollars for prisons, police and the courts.
Not only will local teachers and schools be judged by the success of their students this year and beyond, but state officials will be held accountable for their role.
If test scores drop, taxpayers should point the finger at Harrisburg. And if parents are not pleased this year with class sizes, program cuts or changes, they should not only address their concerns with the local school boards, but with their state representatives. They should also remember that all state House members are up for election in 2012, along with half of state senators.
The experiment of reduced school funding has begun. It will be up to parents, taxpayers and, ultimately, voters to decide if it is a success or failure.