School Budget Cuts Ensure Poor Kids Will Remain Poor

The odds of escaping generational poverty just got a lot steeper for millions of poor children attending our nation's public schools.

The New York Times recently reported that school districts across the country, faced with deep funding cuts, are being forced to consider drastic cost-cutting measures, including laying-off teachers and increasing class sizes. These cuts are sure to have onerous consequences for carrying out the mission of education, particularly for schools in poor urban and rural districts already struggling to teach children.

Unfortunately, school districts from New Jersey to California have no alternatives, thanks to a recession that has decimated their usual sources of revenue — state money and local property taxes. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called the situation a potential "education catastrophe."

According to the Times, the 2010-2011 school term is "shaping up as one of the most austere in the last half century." Districts, sparing no portion of their budgets from the chopping block, are looking to layoff teachers, close schools, eliminate programs, enlarge classes, reduce the purchases of supplies and equipment, including textbooks, and shorten the school day, week or year, all in the name of saving a buck.

In the past, school districts have looked to tighten budgets by making cuts to areas not considered to directly impact student achievement. However, with districts facing staggering monetary shortfalls — lowering thermostats, turning off lights, doing away with extracurricular programs, limiting bus transportation — just won't do the trick. This round of cuts for many districts is down to the bone.

A recent survey conducted by the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) found that 9 out of 10 school superintendents plan to lay off teachers this year, which will increase class size. According to the survey, only nine percent of the respondents increased class size in the 2008-2009 school year. In the 2009-2010 school year the number jumped to 26 percent of respondents, and for the upcoming 2010-2011 school year the number will more than double to 62 percent.

Overcrowded classrooms increase the likelihood that a student will have difficulty staying on task, will fall behind in classwork, won't receive individual attention, will do poorly on tests, will feel frustrated and stressed and will eventually lose interest in school.

However, overcrowding will be only one of the consequences of school budget cuts. The AASA survey found that school districts are also looking to eliminate or drastically reduce instructional improvement strategies: half of respondents will make this cut in 2010-11, up from 22 percent in 2009-10.

More schools will be reducing elective courses; at least half of responding school districts plan to delay the purchase of textbooks; 34 percent say they will eliminate summer school; 51 percent will eliminate field trips; and at least 13 percent of responding school districts are looking to cut the school week to four days for the 2010-11 school year.

Terming the budget cuts being proposed by school districts as simply a potential "education catastrophe"  fails to fully recognize and appreciate the importance of a quality education in providing a gateway out of poverty. Research clearly shows the link between education and the attainment of future success. Without a high quality education, the estimated 13 million American children living below the poverty line have little hope of ever achieving a life of economic security and overall well being.

According to a report commissioned by the Children's Defense Fund, children who are provided a comprehensive, high quality education are less likely to be poor and more likely to find employment and receive higher wages than their less educated peers.

The report goes on to note that:

• Individuals with a college degree will earn nearly twice as much over their lifetimes as those who only have a high school diploma; those with professional degrees earn almost four times as much.
• People with bachelor's degrees are twice as likely as those with a high school degree to report being in excellent or very good health.
• Unequal education opportunities are linked to social problems, such as drug abuse and crime.
• And, high school dropouts are three times as likely to be welfare recipients as are high school graduates.

Last week Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), looking to at least put a finger in the dike, offered up a $23 billion school bailout measure that would help with school districts' budget stress. At best it is only a stop-gap, and that's if the bill passes, which is anything but certain.

Clearly, a better method of financing our nation's public schools has to be found, and has to be found now.

Until America gets serious about making public education a true national priority, poor and minority children will continue to be denied a fair chance to live, learn and thrive.

Photo credit: Steve & Jemma Copley