The British Columbia government has been exploiting their residents for far too long, by quietly promoting the private schools of the region. Although many are not aware, the BC government is withdrawing tax money and awarding it to independent schools. There is clearly a flaw in this system, where “independent” schools become reliant on government handouts. This amoral implementation of government funding is having profound effects on the schooling careers of public school students all across the province. Firstly, funding private schools takes away from public school funding, and therefor impedes the ability of students to learn. Secondly, funding for private schools strengthens their roles in our communities, and sparks debates on who deserves …show more content…
While private schools finish every year with impressive surpluses of funding, almost every public school board within BC is in a deficit. Despite budget cuts becoming increasingly more evident throughout the province, government is showing no signs of changing its fiscal policies. Last year the only high school in Osoyoos was forced to shut down due to meager government funding, now residents have to send their children 22 kilometres away to the nearest high school in Oliver (Hyslop). Cuts are having tremendously large effects on small towns across BC, but they are also evident in the big cities. The majority of schools in Vancouver are still in need of seismic upgrades to better protect students and staff in case of an emergency. In fact 21 schools in Vancouver are classified as “H1” which means that they are very likely to collapse during an earthquake (Smyth). Shouldn’t the safety of students be the number one priority of the school board? In smaller departments public underfinancing has also had some increasingly serious cutbacks in recent years, as many key, non- teaching public school programs have been cut or greatly reduced (Bacchus). These programs include library department staffing, special needs teachers, and counselling staff, none of these budget cuts should be tolerated but especially not the reduction of special education. Special needs teachers are key to the development of a special needs student, and cutting the program is a violation of the student’s right to learn (Quinn). This complete lack of ethical practice from the BC liberals should not be
She realized that choice and accountability were not the answer, but that curriculum and instruction were more viable solutions to America’s educational dilemma. Ravitch suggests that to abandon public schools is to abandon the institution that supports our concepts of democracy and citizenship and to the promise of American life (Ravitch, 2011, p. 12-14). The idea of school choice is rooted in Milton Friedman’s essay concerning the government’s role in education. Friedman asserted that society should support and contribute to the maximum freedom of the individual or the family. He maintained that the government should provide vouchers to help support parents financially on their children’s education, which parents could use at the school of their choosing; so long as the school met set standards. Therefore, this creation of choice would stimulate competition, which Friedman believed would increase the development and improvement of nonpublic schools, as well as, create a variety of school options (Ravitch, 2011, p. 115). As a result of the choice movement, the public received three versions of school choice: voucher schools, private schools, and charter schools. Each of these schools receives public funding, but do not operate as traditional public schools, and are not managed by a government agency (Ravitch, 2011, p. 121). Charter schools became the most popular choice of this new
The improvements made by public schools should not be discounted, either. While there are certainly schools and school districts that remain very troubled those administrators and schools boards are not standing idly by. There are continuous improvements in such schools, and there needs to be even more. Taking money from them when efforts are being made to improve their condition will clearly on hinder such improvement. Private schools are and should remain an option for all parents, but our society mustn't waver when it comes to supporting our public schools.
Arguments For: Allows individuals or groups with innovative educational ideas to put them into practice without being unduly hampered by local or state bureaucracy. These schools may have unconventional hours, experiment with curricula, specialize in certain types of teaching or design programs tailored to a particular audience or community. Charter schools can introduce the ingredient of a measure of needed competition to the public schools. They may provide for more accountability because schools that work will be rewarded and those that do not will be changed or even closed.
The idea that vouchers give parents a choice of schools for their children is simply incorrect. The only people who have any real choice in the matter are the private...
Opponents of free post secondary education tend to believe that the establishment of free post secondary education will never happen because it will be too expensive for the federal and state governments to maintain in long-term. As a result, free post secondary education can lead to a great impact on Canadian economy, students’ success in life and environmental issues.
...g because of administration burn out, changing of school board properties, cost savings, educational benefits, and the differing needs of high school and elementary schools. Disruption of lives in students, parents, and teachers was also another disadvantaged stated by McChesney. (McChesney, 1996)
Budget cuts are a menace to schools and children it limits potential and closes the gate around the arts not allowing our children to experience everything they can. School should be place where our children can learn be creative and have fun, they should be enjoying their stay. Just like Barry it should be a sanctuary that allows them to forget all the problems at home and have fun in
The reason that some schools can’t do things like buy computers and maintain their buildings to begin with is because the school funding system is so ineffective. The US government pays only 7% of all school money, and the rest is up to the states and the tax payers. Whatever money the states won’t pay is paid as school tax, part of your property taxes, which are higher or lower depending on how much your home is worth. But this means that schools in poor neighborhoods get little money while wealthy schools, like ours, get nearly all they need. You don’t see any leaky roofs in our school.
British Columbia case presents specific issues related to special education provided in public schools and well as funding. It is worth noting that Jeffrey’s father decided to sue the public school he attended initially because they had eliminated a special program for student with learning disability after the Provincial Government cut back the education funding. When the school’s administration told Jeffrey’s parents that the type of remedial education can only be provided in a private school, his parents had to move him to one. This action by the school administration is discriminatory because it prevents a student from receiving education, which is universal in nature meaning that all Canadian children are entitled (EduCanada, 2017). More so in a public institution mandated to offer the
It is not right to cut the education funding budget because it will result in increasing tuitions and most importantly job layoffs; “ it’s getting more difficult as a student…. It’s going to be a big harder to pay for the costs of tuition, and top that with textbooks, it’s going to be tougher….We can’t really afford a whole bunch of cuts, we’re kind of struggling. Peterson said” (Dao). This indicates that university teachers have a higher chance to get layoff; “if layoffs are part of that, then layoffs would be part of that — we're not taking that off the table at all," Doherty said” (CBC News). To conclude, the government might not see the effects to their bad judgement but it directly affect the citizen's life; job layoffs and an increase in tuition will make citizens or students life much more
There are many other areas around the United States where urban schools suffer from lack of funding. In many of America...
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.
Many people in today’s society believe it’s wise to send their children to private schools. In making the decision on whether to put children in public or private schools, they look to four main factors: curriculum, class size, the graduation rate, and cost. When people have to pay for something, their first thought is, “Will I be getting what I’m paying for?” With a private school education, the amount you have to pay is usually well worth it. Public schools offer diversity. Here students can find people who are just like them and can associate better. Wherever you live, you have to send your child to the closest school. There’s no choice on what public school you can send your child to, whereas for private schools you can pick to send your child there. It’s not an easy choice for parents to decide, but many factors point toward a guarantee that a good education would be achieved, which is most important.
Private schools should be abolished because education should allow for equal opportunities for all students. Education is supposed to provide better chances of success for the student. Students that attend a state funded school faces a disadvantage as soon as they graduate from secondary school and apply for college.{ talk about private school to college ration} There have been reports about college being biased in the selection process when choosing between state funded and privately funded school applicants. Many educators would agree that a privately funded education is typically more beneficial than a state funded education. “It seems silly to propose scrapping a system of education that provides positive results and successful results.” (CITE DEBATEWISE.ORG) The system should not be scrapped but instead needs to be inputted into the public school system. It should be put into the public school sector because it is not fair for a wealthier individual to able to obtain a better education just becaus...
The Public Choice For some parents, deciding on a school for their children can be a difficult decision. Many parents do not spend much time thinking about it; they place their children into the local school designated by where they live. Others attended a private school themselves and found that it was a beneficial experience and therefore want the same for their kids. But which is better: private schools or public schools? While there are many advantages and disadvantages to each (nothing is going to be absolutely perfect), we are going to focus on the benefits of an education in the public school system, or in other words, schools funded by the government that are for anyone to attend.