Budget surplus should fund education

Thursday, June 4, 1998

Budget surplus should fund education

EDITORIAL: When it comes to mending California’s schools, it’s
time to put money where our mouth is

Just think of all the possibilities: $4.4 billion. That’s
exactly how much surplus money the state of California has, and as
usual everyone has their two cents.

Here goes:

California has one of the worst educational track records in
recent history; this was not always so. The insufficient funds
which are allocated to public education in the state of California
should be at the forefront of this surplus spending discussion.

This money needs to be invested in education on all levels in
this state. The focus, however should be concentrated in K-12
public schools. Funding must go toward books, computers and other
educational materials as well as toward repairing inadequate
schools and classrooms. The environment in which students learn
directly affects their learning ability and their behavior.
Students who are taught in schools that have broken desks, broken
windows, no heat in the winter, missing books and the overall
run-down and neglected appearance of their school are affected by
this. We need to take a bottom-up approach to fixing education. Fix
the worst first, our goal should be to level the playing field.
When students see better school facilities across town or on
television, it shows them that some students have what they don’t
have, and they begin to wonder why this is so.

Are these children less valuable or important? Do we expect less
from them, so therefore they don’t need as much as the children who
have a better chance at "success"? We need to examine the messages
that we send to our children through our educational policies. This
budget surplus must be invested in public schools.

Along the same lines of public schools are the teachers. Many
claim that regardless of how nice the school may look, the true
success or failure of the students is determined largely by the
teachers. Teachers have an incredible impact on the students whom
they teach. To ensure that students get great teachers, we should
put money toward better teacher training. Teachers must be prepared
to properly shape and influence the lives of their students. They
must know how to encourage and support all of their students
equally. They must be sensitive to gender issues in the classroom;
to economic and financial issues that divide students; to cultural
differences and similarities; and to the learning difficulties of
some, as well as the ability to excel for others.

This surplus should go toward hiring more teachers so they can
realistically address the concerns of their students. The building
of schools should be an important issue on the agenda as well. The
issue of overcrowding is an issue that has been acknowledged by
most, yet many politicians haven’t followed through with their
proposals to decrease class sizes. Tuition on the college level
should also be lowered. Higher education presents an elitist and
exclusionary stigma to many students. All students should have the
ability to access higher education regardless of their financial
situation.

Here is our opportunity.

Along with spending this money within the schools, this money
must also be spent within our communities. Many communities are
plagued by juvenile crime; and in turn, these communities have been
locking the kids up. Still many wonder why the same kids get locked
up time after time. Instead of locking up our children, we must put
forth the effort and time to rehabilitate those who have done bad
things. The key is to improve these kids so they won’t do the
destructive things that they do. Many times these kids never had
time invested in them, and this is a way to ensure they have time
put into their recovery and have the access to proper guidance
through these programs. Before these crimes happen, however, we
must work on preventative methods to keep kids from even committing
such crimes. There can never be too much time invested into
children; this is an opportunity that can ensure time will be spent
on children.

It is past time that the state of California recognize those who
have been neglected historically and who remain neglected
presently. Schools cannot wait, children cannot wait, the elderly
cannot wait and the disabled cannot wait. All of these people are a
part of California, most are taxpayers, but what has California
done for them lately? This budget surplus can leave a large
impression on the state of California; and for once in California’s
recent history, we must get our priorities straight.