Poor+investment+in+education+will+hurt+later

= = =//Published by the Sentinel//= =//9/4/11//= = = =The kids are back in school, buses are running and footballs are flying. Seems like just another fall in Pennsylvania's public schools.= =In reality, things are much grimmer behind the scenes. Many school districts used two stopgap tactics to make their budgets this year: fund balances and programming cuts. Those are wells that quickly run dry and the future will require very difficult choices.= =Start with the train wreck known as the Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS), which will not remain solvent without significant increases in contributions from the school districts. A serious spike in contributions is due to hit next year as the state grapples with long-term pension reform.= =Were that the only issue facing our schools, it would be worrisome. It isn't.= =Gov. Tom Corbett's first state budget included $860 million in cuts to public education. What's worse, a recent analysis by The Associated Press indicated that the cuts disproportionately impacted the poorest school districts.= = The poorest 150 school districts, or 30 percent of the state's total, lost $537.5 million in five key program lines, or $581 per student. The wealthiest 150 school districts, as measured by the number of children who qualify for subsidized school lunches, lost $123 million, or $214 per student. Troubling data to be sure. Likewise, the state budget cut around the edges, lopping off money for professional development for teachers. While such cuts may seem insignificant, and truly be insignificant in the short term, down the line we will see the effects.= = Education is an investment in our youth and basic rules of investment apply here. The stronger your investment, the stronger your return will be. Shortchanging our students on education is likely to affect crime rates, unemployment and other social ills down the line. = =The feds have gotten into the act as well. As the historic No Child Left Behind bill nears its 10-year anniversary, the federal government is seemingly ready to abandon its ambitious testing goals. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said recently that more than 80 percent of public schools are in danger of failing to meet NCLB benchmarks.= =The Obama administration recently announced that it will give school districts a waiver from some mandates associated with the education law.= =Yet, despite the big issues confronting our schools, teachers and students have risen to the challenge. Throughout much of the past decade, Pennsylvania led the way in math and reading test score improvements. And Cumberland County students have done well on PSSA testing.= =We have good students. We have good schools. We also have serious issues before us and we all need to work together, and sacrifice a little, to find the solutions.= = Read more: [|http://www.cumberlink.com/news/opinion/editorial/article_93a0d06a-d6af-11e0-9a5d-001cc4c03286.html#ixzz1XJmNShlB] =

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