“A high-quality public education can build much-needed skills and knowledge. It can help children reach their God-given potential” (Weingarten). The need for public education is so important. Public education is the leading source of education for students in America. 91 percent of Americans attending public school in 2009 (Jennings). These students attending public schools are our nation’s future. Is the amount of funding given to public education enough to supply each student with their individual needs?
Public education received 664 million dollars in the 2014-2015 school year. Eight percent of that funding came from the federal government, 47% came from state resources, and the remaining 45% came from local resources (The condition of Education).
…show more content…
The general funding received for regular education materials is
$130,860.00, the gifted program received $2,950.00, the early intervention program received
$6,400.00, and the special education program received $57,558.58 (Mitchell). Is this enough funding to support all these different areas? Do things need to be cut or compromised so that other areas can have more funding?
The main portion of the schools funding goes to regular education classes. At Garrison
Pilcher Elementary there are 516 first and second grade students (Mitchell). This is a Title I school meaning there is extra money given to the schools, because most of the students come from low-income families (Title I, Part A Program). Many students cannot afford anything so the funding received goes to purchase everything that is needed to be successful students. Could they use more funding?
The special education fund is distributed between 105 students with different disabilities and severities. There are several laws surrounding the education of students with special needs.
The main law is the Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). This law requires that all
Early Grants and Allocations –a supplemental tax was given to schools to enhance school programs.
In “End Them, Don’t Mend Them,” P.J. O’Rourke vehemently argues that the public school system needs to be shut down and ended for good due to a monumental increase in spending per pupil with no significant standardized test score improvements made in the past forty years. O’Rourke describes his view of a typical public school family that the public school system has marred with quirks and educational flaws to open up his essay. He then contends that putting a child through public school costs a fortune by pointing out that the average cost per pupil from pre-K through 12th grade is $11,749. O’Rourke cites an annual Gallop Poll conducted from 2004-2007 to explain that Americans find insufficient spending to be the top problem with public schools.
School funding is a recurring issue in the modern era. Debates ranging from give schools more money, to get rid of the system in place and reform a new idea have been plaguing the world over the years. “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed in 2009, provided more than $100 billion in education aid to offset budget cuts..” (School Finance). Later, “Congress provided an additional $10 billion in 2010 to avert mass teacher layoffs (Education Week, "Total Recovery Act")” (School Funding). These numbers are just a sample of the struggles in school funding, that is costing a ton of money to keep afloat. “There are many ways schools fund varying from state to state and even school to school. Income taxes, corporate taxes, sales taxes, and other fees provide 48 percent of the elementary and secondary school funds. 44 percent of local districts draw money from local property taxes. The federal government makes up approximately 8 percent of state education budgets. These funds are a dealt out on a per-student basis, and categorically to ensure enough resources for each special program or facility” (School Funding). These funds play a huge role in every student's education, either positive or negative. The three main areas that need to be addressed in the school budget are extracurricular funding, building and equipment maintenance, and last but not least staff funding.
The issue of whether charter or public schools are more beneficial for students has been an ongoing debate. The question that arise is which type provides a better education. Having gone to a charter high school myself, I got to see and experience first-hand the benefits of going to a charter school as well as realizing the issues charter schools face here in Oklahoma. These problems need to address in order to guarantee that students are getting the best education that they can get. We are facing an epidemic today with our education system and charter schools could be the solution. There may be opponents to the idea of having charter schools, but they have been wildly successful lately and are quickly expanded throughout the states. This is due to the fact that charter schools can benefit people economically, educationally, and as well as socially.
Frank Johnson, a writer for the National Center for Education Statics, “Disparities in Public School Spending.” Reported in 1995, public education expenditures per student are higher in the nation's smallest districts whereas students receive an average fully adjusted expenditure of $4,862 versus $4,216 in the largest district’s 10,000 students and above. (Johnson 4)
A flurry of solutions has been suggested, ranging from school uniforms to government grants. Unfortunately, many of these solutions are merely superficial. Uniforms, Internet access, and new buildings will do little to help overcrowded classrooms, overworked teachers, and disinterested students. The most obvious answer seems to lie in government grants to remedy buildings and supplies and standardized testing to confirm the quality of every education.
The United States has many conflicts, one of them is funding on Public Education. In fact Public schools are to make every effort to try and help the students with all they can. Some schools have better things to offer to their schools. It depends on the population where the school is located. Do you agree that the public schools should get the funding depending on the population of where they are located? So many things are unfair and we the people do not really have much we can say publicly or even speak up to this situation. Every student should have the same opportunities as someone that goes to a school where tons of money are invested into. Let us focus on tomorrow’s future instead because once we know it the time will come to see these successful students take part of our country and keep us going forward for the better. Despite the fact that funding on public education will not help students succeed academically with the money provided to the schools, every school deserves to get as much money because students will receive more proper education and will be more successful students in the future.
I chose this topic because education is all around me. I am literally surrounded by illiteracy. From the moment I leave my door, to the moment I return, I am able to witness illiteracy in my society. Therefore, I could connect well to this particular topic in detail. So many children younger than me, of my age and also people elder to me do not have access to education. Even though 86.1% of the world is illiterate (CIA World Factbook), the other 14.9% have absolutely no access to education!
Proper school funding is one of the keys to having a successful school. Americans believe that funding is the biggest problem in public schools. School improvements revolve around funding. There needs to be funding not only in the successful schools but also the schools that aren’t doing as well. In documentary, Waiting for Superman, it talks about how smaller class sizes will help students. Funding is what will help the smaller class sizes. State funding mechanisms are subject to intense political and economic scrutiny (Leonard). Studies have shown that funding is inversely related to accreditation levels (Leonard). School funding needs to be increased, but there must be accountability as well.
Do you know anyone in your family, a friend or even a person at school with learning disabilities? What if I told you, the assistance the disabled needs in order to learn was being reduced? Around the country budget cuts have been made and they are impacting the special needs student population in a negative way. However, some may argue that the government should not give back the money that was taken away by the budget cuts and the money should be used for other education programs. Many education program’s budget has been cut from the government as in Art programs, Higher education funding and regular school funding. To the government, special needs education is important, but they have other programs to fund in the education system and
What is special education? The common belief is that it a program only dedicated to helping students with disabilities, whether physical or mentally. This is not entirely accurate in regards of what special education is. While special education does provide assistance to students with disabilities ns meet their needs in quality education (Küpper 2009)—the program extends to all students facing difficulties keeping up with the pace of learning (Huerta 2009). This brings the next question onto the table: the importance of special education. Before 1970s, majority of students with disabilities were shun into isolation with little to no education in general classes (Bradley 2016). However, with the passage of Education for All Handicapped Children
Public education funding has more than doubled in the last few years. Money associated with public schools has shown to improve academic outcomes; but the funds have mostly followed social goals. For an example, nutrition programs, education of the handicapped and busing for intermixing. I know this because of my experience with public schools. With many attempts of making
Education is meant to be the key to a successful life. It is supposed to inspire great ideas, and prepare each and every generation for their future. However, school for today 's generation fails to meet those requirements. Every student knows education is important, but when school is not engaging or in some cases, even relevant, it makes learning difficult. Improving the school system is something educators attempt to accomplish every year. Despite their best efforts, there are numerous flaws students see, but adults overlook. There is a lack of diversity for students to learn, an overabundance of testing, and students’ voices are being ignored on how to create a more productive learning experience.
Imagine a family, a family that has it all. Good neighborhood, schooling, and robust health. Everything seems to be going right for this family, then all of a sudden one event changes the course of their future forever. The father makes a poor business investment which causes the family to loose their savings. Now that all of the savings are gone and they are living off check to check, they need to cut back on wasteful spending. The kids may need to attend a lower public school than the normal private school they once attended, thus causing them not to learn or advance at a level that they once could. Within the span of what could be not more than a year or two, this family has went from having a stable life to a family that is on the verge
Before, the education system used to have the best interest of children but instead it seems as if the professionals who work for the system cares more about the job qualifications than the true value of education and how well the people are attaining it. Public education uses to led the road to success, but after going through thirteen years of it and seeing what the public education system is all about, people have come to realize that it only affect others later on in life negatively.