This entry was inspired by a conversation with a friend at work. I had mentioned that I used to teach, and we drifted into a chat about the current state of public schools in FL. I was shocked to hear that our county was laying off teachers, when it couldn't hire enough of them two years ago. Since then, I've done some research on the subject and included the links in this story. The lack of any outcry or resistance to the new budget here in retirementland is demoralizing, but there is still time to make our wheels squeak louder for some much needed oil...I've also updated the story of my own kids educations, and the fate of the Top Ten list that wanted to grow up to be 100. Happy Valentine's and sorry to be such a bummer...NSB
First, you must try to understand the psyche of the typical FL taxpayer (a painful and depressing project..). Historically, residents have been reluctant to pay any kind of tax, due to their mostly retired status. Combine this with a large transient population, and a politically tepid younger generation, and you begin to see why FL ranks very low in the quality of it's education. Florida taxpayers are almost always in a state of revolt, which culminated last year in a universal demand for lower property taxes. Last October, the average 100K homeowner recieved a letter promising us a tax cut of between $200 and $300. In December, we got the actual bill, which was only about $50 lower, on average. And what did we get in return for this grand sacrifice? Education budget cuts and teacher layoffs as shown here. And the situation is even worse in my county than this picture suggests. The last two years in Volusia county have been disproportionately bad, with layoffs of more than 1000 school employees. Speaking for myself and my neighbor at work, we would have rather paid the $50, and kept the teachers!!!
But somehow, I guess that was never in the cards for our students and our grandchildren here in Florida. If I sound bitter, it's because I have my own checkered history with education here, including a failed teaching career, endless unpaid college loans, bouts of unemployment, and the inability to bring myself to put my own children back into the public school system. I just couldn't do it, so even though I've spent enough to own two Harley's by now, I consider it the best money I have ever spent. Even with all that going on, I still wouldn't mind paying a little more for the rest of FL's kids, who aren't always so lucky as mine...
Researching this subject gave me some insights about our state; aside from the habitual lassitude of the taxpayers here, I was also shocked by the lack of transparency in our state government. Florida has the Sunshine Law, which is designed to grant public access to all government records. Now, I'm no Google search wizard, but I was surprised at how few and confusing the facts seem to be about the state's budget, and the huge elephant in the room that Floridians never mention...the state lottery budget. One seemingly reputable page says that the lottory contributes only %7 of it's earnings to state education, while another claims that it's %50. ...! So which one is it? And what's up with Governor Crists' proposed budget page, here? A close look reveals its the proposal for 2008-09, which raises the question of what happened to this year's. Was he afraid to publish it? And was last year's proposal a rosy scenario that never happened??? And what the heck happened to our Sunshine Laws, Governor?
Right now, there are more questions than answers for the state's parents and students. There's always been skepticism about the effectiveness and morality of the Lottery system. One thing we can know for sure, is that the lawmakers will return to budget negotiations in a special session starting on March 3...so I urge any Floridians reading this to share it, and lobby your local lawmaker here for a stronger education budget.
So my kids stayed at prep school and have excelled there...and my Top Ten Suggestions to Improve Public Education list? It survived the demise of Journalspace.com, but it never got expanded to more than 27. Back then, it was the Iraq War that everyone was crazy about, now its the economy. Which brings up the question, When will we put be putting our children first? Prose can only say so much about my feelings on this, so I'll add in this bit about teaching...
On Being a Teacher
It’s like being a Centurian
During the Fall of Rome;
Like fighting a losing battle
Defending your hearth and home.
It’s like bailing a boat
With a sewing thimble,
In the middle of a pouring rain.
It’s like sticking your finger
In a boiling dike, stemming
Human emotion and pain.
So let’s say a Blessing
For ALL of our Teachers
And ratify all of their means.
Like the last known survivors
Of Pandora’s Box, They
Nurture our Hopes and Dreams.