Wednesday, January 26, 2005
One of the most important parts of children’s development is the quality of education they receive while growing up. For most children in the United States, they get that education through the public school system. Primary and secondary education of some type is mandatory in the U.S. While some parents choose alternative methods of education, the majority of children will go through the public education system.
For this reason, the public education system is a very important part of the development of children and teenagers, and should be an area of concern for the public as a whole. The children who process through the public education system are the people who will eventually run the country, and the quality of education they get is crucial to their development into intelligent and creative individuals. There is a delicate balance in place when considering a developing mind’s requirements for a fulfilling education that teaches children to push the limits of their potential.
States such as Kansas have varying budgets for education, but none of them ranks near the top of the expenditures for each state. Renovations, athletics programs and improvement on standardized test scores are ranked much higher on the list of state concerns. Increasingly, the decrease in overall state budgets has led to a cut in education funds. Because of these budgetary adjustments, school boards must decide how to allocate these funds. School buildings are outdated and in need of repair, and there are the usual expenditures such as bussing and teacher salaries. Something has to take the brunt of the decrease in funds, and often, the first programs to receive budgetary cuts are the arts, including music, theater, and visual art.
Already this attitude permeates the university level, where the arts and “soft” sciences, such as sociology and political science are under-funded compared to the hard, industry sciences. The closing of the anthropology museum at the University two years ago due to lack of funds, while the research sciences receive millions of dollars in grants and awards is indicative of a culture that favors the sciences.
While these “extracurricular” classes may seem expendable when compared to basic language, science and mathematic skills, those skills are worth little if a child has no understanding of what he or she is learning. According to the Americans for the Arts organization, exposure to music and understanding its basic forms is essential to a child’s ability to form problem-solving skills and make creative solutions. Art classes also help strengthen the creativity centers of the brain, as well as allowing children to stretch their own creative limits.
Budget cuts force schools to hire teachers at a much lower salary, often resulting in teacher lay-offs because there simply is not enough money in the system. The quality education that is provided by a teacher who cares is one of the most memorable and impacting to a child. Also, as a result of fewer, more inexperienced teachers, class sizes increase and children get less individual attention. Individual attention is important in fostering confidence and security in children during their formative years.
The solution is to raise revenues for the education budget. The Kansas Board of Education statistics from 2000 showed that raising taxes is the usual solution, although a large part of the public objects to tax increases. However, tax revenues are the body of what funds most government programs. If today’s children do not receive a full, balanced education, they will be less capable of dealing with large-scale problems in the future. Those opposed to a slight, but vital increase in taxation, which will ultimately lead to an increase in revenue for state education programs should take note of the fact that they will place their world into the hands of these children, and ask themselves if a few more dollars a year is worth it.
Zafar is a Wichita senior in history.Free: Cutting education budget only digs economy ...
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