2008 Woodie Awards
No future without school funding
Issue date: 2/12/08 Section: Opinion
With a presidential election eight months away, that dirty word will rear its head often; taxes. Promising to raise taxes can derail a campaign faster than any negative campaigning. Unfortunately with lower governmental income, public services are suffering, namely, public schools. Twenty-five education protestors were arrested this week after demanding Gov. O'Malley amend his budget proposal, which will significantly weaken a Baltimore school system already on the ropes. Baltimore's public schools estimate that the new budget proposal by O'Malley will cut their budget by $45 million over the next two fiscal years. As the public school system crumbles in Baltimore, the question is who's to blame?
The Greyhound would be remiss if we did not mention a statistic which came upon from 2005. Joseph C. Briscoe High School on Baltimore's west side graduated just 10.5% of their seniors, none of whom would go on to attend a four year college. Old textbooks, limited computer resources, under funded school programs, and lower teacher salaries all contribute to creating such an environment.
Throwing money at this problem may not be the answer, but schools must be funded properly to be successful. Findings like this one from the Brookings Institute in 1990, "As for money, the relationship between it and effective schools has been studied to death. The unanimous conclusion is that there is no connection between school funding and school performance," no longer holds water. Baltimore public schools seem to provide a perfect contradiction.
Are we to expect the Baltimore public school system to turn lemons into lemonade, while simultaneously depriving them of lemons? Without an education the youth population of the city is destined to fall deeper and deeper into a violent and drug riddled cycle, which will force away business and residents alike.
As witnesses to such troubles, as well as fortunate recipients of top-notch educations, students must be cognizant of these struggles and be willing to contribute. In the future and now, before cutting taxes for the sake of political gain, consider what they fund. Education cannot be forgotten.
The Greyhound would be remiss if we did not mention a statistic which came upon from 2005. Joseph C. Briscoe High School on Baltimore's west side graduated just 10.5% of their seniors, none of whom would go on to attend a four year college. Old textbooks, limited computer resources, under funded school programs, and lower teacher salaries all contribute to creating such an environment.
Throwing money at this problem may not be the answer, but schools must be funded properly to be successful. Findings like this one from the Brookings Institute in 1990, "As for money, the relationship between it and effective schools has been studied to death. The unanimous conclusion is that there is no connection between school funding and school performance," no longer holds water. Baltimore public schools seem to provide a perfect contradiction.
Are we to expect the Baltimore public school system to turn lemons into lemonade, while simultaneously depriving them of lemons? Without an education the youth population of the city is destined to fall deeper and deeper into a violent and drug riddled cycle, which will force away business and residents alike.
As witnesses to such troubles, as well as fortunate recipients of top-notch educations, students must be cognizant of these struggles and be willing to contribute. In the future and now, before cutting taxes for the sake of political gain, consider what they fund. Education cannot be forgotten.
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