Fighting for the Children!

Rally to Save Education VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Nothing gets you pumped like a political rally! The passion radiating from supporters was intoxicating. Senator Andy Dinniman was the conductor of this wonderful political orchestra. He spoke with drive and conviction! He mentioned how we all want to stabilize the bill, Republic and Democratic, we just can’t agree on how. Dinniman stated how hindering education would only increase our problems. This, I agree.

Each speaker presented their reasons for keeping education a top priority for our country. A local West Chester University student showed his appreciation for all those who rallied to keep college affordable so far. He expressed the importance of affordable higher education, which will not be the case if Corbett’s Budget is passed. State universities will have their funding cut by 53%. If you get annoyed by alumni letters requesting donations now, imagine how many more you will get if this goes through.

It was stressed for people to understand that even though state taxes will not go up, local property taxes will. This is all a method of how you view it. In the end, you will have to pay money. If college funding is cut, you will have higher tuition rates. If programs are eliminated, you will have to pay for extra help for your child. The question is, which direction will help us grow and which will set us back?

The rally was intense and served its purpose allowing everyone to express themselves in a civil manner. The fight is for education, not for profit but for the kids. I do not put myself on either side of the battle. I may sway more to one side than the other but I don’t want to get caught up in who has more ammo, it goes nowhere. I am for the kids. I am for giving back to helping others. I am for not punishing the innocent, the children. I am for education because it’s a freedom, as one of the speakers stated. To get rid of public education is eliminating a freedom. Education is also necessary for growth. Ignorance isn’t bliss, it only limits your ability to really live.

One of the youngsters got up to speak, he exclaimed he understood what was happening and urged not to have his education taken from him. The kids do get what is happening because they feel the effects. They are the ones who suffer. They need our support to help them along. They are curious minds wanting to digest the world. How can we even ponder taking any of that away?

Also mentioned, was the $186 million increase for the state Department of Corrections by Corbett’s proposal. Somehow, Corbett feels locking people away is more important than educating them. I often wonder if Corbett lacks education himself or just common sense. The increase of population in prisons are due to petty drug crimes. Corbett thinks we have acquired more criminals. What changed was the sentencing guidelines. Drugs have been around for a long time, it’s only now they are imposing harsher punishments as a deterrent.

Consequences are necessary but so is reform. It’s gone too far and it seems as though instead of helping to reduce crime we are just locking them up so we can ignore the problem. We are eliminating funding for treatment facilities and now education programs that are preventative measures for potential addicts. A child with more time on their hands is more likely to suffer depression and from it comes addiction. Either way, reforming, healing, growing should be the goal. The reason we are in this slump is because people wanted money right away and ignored the possible outcome. The only way to change, is to learn from past mistakes. It’s really that simple.

I want to truly thank West Chester School district for sacrificing. They are putting value to humanity and not money. This kind of move says more than words. It’s not about money, it’s about helping others. Thank you for making that statement by selfishly doing this. A selfless act has more power than any weapon in the world. It’s a key element to what needs to occur more to help rebuild our country.

I want to make sure to honor and show appreciation for what they are doing. It’s admirable and inspiring. Through the bad we can find ourselves. We can flourish or hold onto the negative. We are never truly poor unless we see it that way. It’s all about how you define what makes you rich.

Education, rock on!

Rally for Education!

Now more than people need to work together to help repair the damages from this economic storm. The legislatures elected to lead the people, for the people, are not cutting it.  Education is in dangerous water right now which should NOT be the case. It’s up to the people to fight for what we need!

Governor Corbett is proposing a budget cut that will create an array of issues. There is little money available, this is not news. People are unwilling to take tax increases and as promised, Corbett is proposing a plan to ensure that does not occur. The problem with this is we WILL be moving backwards. We have to stop listening to money and start paying attention to our children.

Below lists what Corbett’s Budget Cut will do and how it will affect us. Please read and follow up with research from your local school district website.

CUTS:

- Coatesville- $8 million

- West Chester- $2.5 million

- Downingtown- $2.9 million

- Chester Upland- $19 million less. 40 % of its students attend charter schools, it would lose close to $11 million of those reimbursements.

- %50 of state subsidies to state colleges and universities- some universities are for-seeing shutdowns in the next three years if this occurs

- $47.4 million cut in tutoring funds (EAP)

- Reducing the Basic Education Fund by 10.5 percent ($553 million) – this is the state’s largest subsidy- it helps to fund public education on a fair scale, promoting education to better society

- Completely do away with the Accountability Block Grant Program- instilled to reduce juvenile behavior by holding them accountable for their actions by committing them to do community service and work to repay damages

OUTCOME:

- Eliminate: full-day kindergarten, pre-K programs, before/after school tutoring, new materials, advanced placement courses and summer school- these have all proven to help students advance. Can you predict the outcome from cutting beneficial programs?

- Increase in local property taxes- Pennsylvania depends on local taxes because our state’s share of school funding is only 36%, well below national average of 48%. There is no way around the increase. Note: your pockets will be affected by this!

- Larger class sizes- means less individualized student attention and specialized programs- EXTREMELY necessary to assist struggling students

- Increase tuition for higher education

- More student borrowing & debt- USA Today reports the average college graduate owes about $19,000 in student loan debt. This is not calculating their credit card debt. Don’t you want your child to have a chance to succeed? Instead of a head start, these kids will be starting in the back of the line. When it comes time for you to retire and there is no SS or Medicare, you won’t be able to turn to your children for help either.

- More unemployment- Like this number needs to increase. On top of it, there won’t be jobs available for prospective teachers in the public sector. Private teaching jobs pay about %50 less than public schools.

Please get out and help fight for education!

This budget cut will affect lower education as well as higher. Overall, we will all pay the price over time.

On Wednesday, April 27th, at 7 p.m., there is a rally in West Chester, on the steps of the Historic Chester County Courthouseat High and Market streets. This rally is promoted by State Senator, Andy Dinniman. Please come out! Numbers do count, your voice does matter. Our future generation matters.

 

Privatization

Politics is complicated. It’s complexity often turns people away from wanting to get involved. I can understand but at the same time it’s best to understand why certain things are occurring rather than living in ignorance. To become apart of the change you must self educate.

I want to talk about Privatization. To understand the changes trying to be made you should know what this means. Education is facing a debacle with the “Voucher System” (which I will have a separate blog about) that will move education into privatization. I will give you a review of what privatization is and a few arguments for and against it.

What is privatization?

Privatization is the transference of a government function into a private sector. The main idea being, “free market competition”, is more affective than a government-run entity.

The idea is that competition would be more of an incentive for organizations to create a better product and or service. Privatization centers around a libertarian notion of limited government and a free market. For years, this idea has caused many a debate. Below are a few of the pros and cons.

“Free Market Competition” – The belief that competition promotes better growth.

Better Resources – Some feel, private companies have the ability to supply the necessary experience and money to help refine a service or product. It’s assumed the government lacks the knowledge for competition in an economic market and therefore is ineffective. Also, government relies on a budget focused on society as a whole which creates struggle for them to acquire the needed funding for every government organization. A private business focuses primarily on the financial aspect of a service and product. It’s believed that a private business has an easier time raising money and capital than a state-run agency because of the political aspect.

Focus – A state-run agency runs by a political agenda whereas a private company focuses solely on the consumers needs and wants.

Profits – To move into the private sector, a product or service becomes a commodity.  This is beneficial because others can make money from it. If schools became private than a profit could be made for the public.

These are a few of the underlying reasons why some are for privatization.

Against privatization:

Public Support – It’s felt that government’s incentive is over-looked. They are run by the people and for the people. They need to keep operating according to the needs of the people or they will lose votes. Government profits from the people for the people whereas private companies want to make money from the people for the business.

Regulations – A private company is not regulated like a state-run agency. Law protects the people in government agencies while private companies do not have as much repercussions nor are as monitored.

Job Stability – Private businesses can fire at will and tend to down-size quickly when they fear a financial threat. Government agencies have a long-term plan which allows them to find ways to ensure jobs are intact unless absolutely necessary.

Greed – privatization is focused on making money not protecting the people. They are a “dog eat dog” run industry. Government agencies are for the people and therefore try to fix an issue for the public and not profit.

Adam smith is often refered to when dealing with economics. Smith’s, “an invisible hand” idea, is used to promote privatization. He states that when an individual pursues his self-interest he indirectly benefits society by regulating prices. Smith wrote that self-interest and competition would lead to economic prosperity. But he also warned against human nature’s tendency to be selfish. He understood the businessman’s mentality and strongly urged those pursuing his theory to think it through. Smith became known as the father of capitalism and modern economics.

Here is my one simple argument I urge people to think about. First, take Smith’s warning and acknowledge the corruption that evolves in a corporate and business world. The goal for business is money. The goal for education is learning. You can not combine those together to create an institution fair to every child. If schools were operated for profit they would be more eager to rid themselves of students struggling. In the business world they don’t think about your family when they fire you. They need to be heartless to drive out the weak and keep the strong to ensure a higher profit. This mixed with a school would be a disaster.

Financially, privatizing the schools might produce more profit but it would hurt the students. I will explore this more when I blog about the Voucher system proposal. I wanted to first explain this concept because it will be coming up frequently as we attempt to rebuild our economy.

Thoughts?

Budget Cut Disaster

It’s no secret we’re in an economic crisis; regardless of what the media wants you to think. The struggle at the state level is deciding between raising taxes or eliminating critical programs. When I was first reviewing Governor Tom Corbett’s budget proposal I was outraged! I couldn’t believe anyone would consider a $1 billion budget cut for education spending. Yes, Pennsylvania has a $4 billion deficit but we can’t afford to cut back on education or policing.

At first, Corbett’s proposal didn’t seem logical. I thought very ill thoughts of the governor, until I saw the other side of it. I want to articulate both sides in hopes of making people understand what is happening right now. I am still against Corbett’s proposal only without ill thoughts. Along with the budget cut; Gov Tom Corbett is recommending a one year salary freeze for public school teachers. Fortunately, he can only recommend since he has no power to implement this. I don’t support anyone who wants to reduce funding for education except terrible teachers. For the record, Unions make it difficult for schools to get rid of bad teachers. That is an issue for another blog.

First off, no matter how you look at it we WILL HAVE to sacrifice in order to rebuild. Our state has a hefty deficit and we must pick the lesser of two evils. The reality is, the state has no money and the country is in major debt. We need to adjust the mind-set we had five years ago. Unfortunately, we don’t have money to spend on fancy things; and well-paying jobs are scare. Sorry, we have to work hard to get back on track and accept the current situation.

There are two choices; increase taxes or eliminate programs we absolutely need. Please note that taxes are the only income for the government; income used to pay for programs. If we say no to taxes than there is no income for the government. The government has no money to begin with, therefore we have a budget cut. I’m not sure everyone understands this. There is nothing that will change the situation quickly. Look at it like a broken bone; it takes time to heal. If you don’t accept that you can do further damage or prolong the healing.

The other side:

Governor Tom Corbett has proposed a budget cut of $27.3 million dollars. Also, he wants to cut in half funding for 14 State-owned universities such as Penn State, Pitt, Temple and Lincoln Universities and reduce education spending for K-12 by $1 billion dollars. The budget cut will allow tax payers to save $400 million. The outcome of the budget cut will be:

(http://www.myfoxphilly.com/dpp/news/budget_reform/030811-education-slammed-in-pa.-budget-cuts)

~ Teaching jobs will be reduced resulting in larger class sizes. If you think teaching jobs are secure they aren’t. Pennsylvania School Code states districts can only cut staff if enrollment drops significantly, it’s reorganizing or if programs are cut. Last year to reduce public school teachers they pushed some into early retirement but after this budget goes into effect than lay offs will occur without a nice retirement package. However, most states allow schools to furlough employees through hard economic times but PA currently does not. In other words, more job loses and newly graduated college students with a teaching degree will be stuck with school loans and no income. They can not even get unemployment. I wonder what kind of jobs they will get?

~ Decreasing school security ( http://articles.philly.com/2011-04-05/news/29384676_1_climate-managers-budget-cuts-michael-lodise). Philadelphia having less policing anywhere is pure insanity. What occurs from this is an increase in crime, drugs, murder and do I really need to say more? Police= Protection, People-Police= No Protection. Philadelphia already has a major problem with violence in their schools. Are you willing to allow your children to go to a place where they are not safe? Future note: stay away from Camden and public schools in Philadelphia.

~ Property taxes will rise locally. The revenue for the School District, property taxes: Property taxes= School District revenue. One way or another your pockets will get hit with taxes. Do you do it with or without eliminating the programs you need to help your children?

This appears to be a double-edged sword. This is when I say, “People get involved!”  If you are unwilling to increase taxes than fight for a better way to fix this deficit. Please don’t allow the children to suffer because in the end they are the ones that will. They had no part in this deficit and will be punished.

Make education priority! When a society lacks education they follow emotion which leads to chaos. Let’s keep America peaceful and help those after us learn from our mistakes. Do not allow Pennsylvania to go backwards. Education is to our society as a foundation is to a home. If you build on a crappy foundation it will create problems. Let’s do something, together.

 Please comment away!