Analytic Entries Current Event

Analytic Entries
Current Event

The obstacles that were facing education in the past are not gone today. Schools are still dealing with a serious lack of funding. There was a warning sent out to schools in Connecticut to let them know that there was going to be budget cuts. The last cuts were placed on the test books. The schools had ordered the books before being told that there was going to be a $20 million total cut for the books. Because these books had already been ordered it was up to the district to pay the difference. The pressure that was placed on the district due to the cut was unfair and not prepared for. The district also had to pay for a one percent salary increase in retirement contributions, “Which together cost the district about $300,000. Those figures are the reason the district took an allowed 4 percent increase in its local tax rate this year.” (Minor). It is unfair that the people should have to pay for things that were already promised to be paid for them by the state. Education is still not receiving the proper attention that it deserves and needs to successfully teach students. The current funding in not enough to run a school and to then take a six percent cut is unthinkable. To create underfunded schools is to kill America’s future. The decision on the cuts has not been made yet but they do plan to make them. The cuts in their minds are unquestionable. For now it is only a matter of time before it is shown what part of parts of the school will be taken away. The problem then was getting funding to start the school, while now the trouble is keep the school open.
The state Board of Education is planning on meeting to look over the funding on different schools. This meeting is going to be held with the purpose of deciding where the money should go. The problem now is that although there is money it is not being spent in a productive manner. There used to be a lack of structure to the system as there is now. The potential members that may plan to attend this meeting were not specified but can be assumed to be chairmen of the state Education Committee as well as representatives from different groups that have testified before the board about school funding changes. Fleishmann, state of Education Committee co-Chairmen, said “It’s a bit of a crazy quilt that we have right now, and we should have a better designed system… What makes sense is having dollars follow students so the state doesn’t end up with too many situations here it is paying more than once for the education of one child,” (Fleishmann). He is explaining that they are working to create a better system that will take the money that is being put into the education program and make it an investment rather then a temporary fix. It is important when trying to address the issue on hand that there are people working to make a change in the system before it is too late.
The idea to follow the new “money follows the child,” (Benton) proposal was not acted upon. This was intended to be the new solution to the current problem of finding a productive place to spend money. This was going to be used to replace the current system of pupil grants. The legislature is now reviewing the new idea would end up coasting the state about $ 5 million in the next fiscal year. One of the reasons the idea was emplaced was to prove a “Reduced role of local property taxes in education funding.” (Benton). To change a system is essential when working against such a large problem and could end up benefiting the students greatly, but there is a large risk at hand.