The Man wrote:

I fail to understand what 'school funding crisis' we have? Do they mean pension crisis? I also fail to understand in what way our schools are underfunded? Pennsylvania is in the top 10 in states that spend the most per student on education. You could give a school district like Philadelphia $1 Trillion and their schools would still be failing. The reason that they are failing is not because of a lack of funding.

Correct, money is not why schools and students are failing.

The vast majority of issues that lead to poor school performance have to do with the family situation for the kid.  Lack of parental supervision and emphasis on education in the home.  No amount of money will correct social failures of parents.  When kids are wondering where their next meal comes from, if they are being evicted from their apartment for the 3rd time this year, their parents don't hold them accountable for school work and their peers are in the same situation; what chance to do they really have to succeed? 

 

As a former teacher, myself, I think I have some understanding on the issue.  You are right about the teacher-parent-student relationship.  I know it only represents my experience over my 33 years as a public school educator, but in general I would say our nation (and government) does not make education a high priority.

I've had several students of Asian descent in my classroom, and believe me, I'd take a room full of them.  The respect they and their parents have of teachers is second to none.  Their parents always showed up on Parent Night.  I vividly remember the father of a Japanese student I had in class ............ when he walked into my room he paused and bowed in front of me before he sat down.  You should have seen the looks he got from the other parents.  After the session I asked him about what he did.  I'll never forget his response.  Without hesitation he said to me, "Teachers make all professions possible."

Education begins with the respect and high regard people have for the process itself.  In some ways we Americans may have lost some of that.  I don't know why.

Last edited by Just Fred (3/24/2016 4:54 pm)

Just Fred wrote:

As a former teacher, myself, I think I have some understanding on the issue.  You are right about the teacher-parent-student relationship.  I know it only represents my experience over my 33 years as a public school educator, but in general I would say our nation (and government) does not make education a high priority.

I've had several students of Asian descent in my classroom, and believe me, I'd take a room full of them.  The respect they and their parents have of teachers is second to none.  Their parents always showed up on Parent Night.  I vividly remember the father of a Japanese student I had in class ............ when he walked into my room he paused and bowed in front of me before he sat down.  You should have seen the looks he got from the other parents.  After the session I asked him about what he did.  I'll never forget his response.  Without hesitation he said to me, "Teachers make all professions possible."

Education begins with the respect and high regard people have for the process itself.  In some ways we Americans may have lost some of that.  I don't know why.

Fred, you may want to sit down for this.  I agree with just about everything you said.  I think the government does make education a high priority, it is the families that don't make it enough of one.

Asian people aren't smarter than the rest of the world, their culture just holds education as a high priority in the family setting.  Until America does that, I really don't see anything government does that will fix the education issue.

My major concern with the budget debacle is part of what is contained in my post #18. The sleight of hand, under the radar 'adjustments' lawmakers insert into the budget to satisfy benefactors to the detriment of the overall citizenry. Your state senator or representative doesn't send you an e-mail, letter, phone call or press release to inform you of these back room deals. They only tell you that they've opened the floodgates releasing funds necessary for school operations that they know are of concern to the average citizen. Nothing about the excess special interest spending that continues to drive the state coffers into a deficit position. They'll worry about that 'next year'. Meanwhile the average citizen/homeowners suddenly find their income, sales, property, etc. taxes continue to increase to cover the shortfall. Until our elected officials find the courage to say "NO" to special interest groups, face the unfunded liabilities that continue to increase, attack and remedy underfunded out of control public pensions, prevailing wages laws, ridiculously high government salaries, the most expensive state legislation branch in the country, ignoring extraction fees on fracking operations, privatizing wine & spirits stores, and actually formulate a reasonable balanced budget that disregards political partisanship, the taxpayers of Pennsylvania will continue to bear the brunt of the fiscal failures caused by our government.

Every homeowner in the state should be fearing the next round of tax increases as the result of this budget debacle..  They are going to be particularly hard for the state's seniors, many who barely are able to stay in their homes.