Federal Stimulus Presents Opportunities for Schools
Printer Friendly Versions:
This has, and will continue to be, a tough
year for Vermont schools and school boards as money is more than tight, work is
hard to find, and certain state officials are making noises like it’s all our
fault. The Governor, in the ongoing war
against public schools, is pressuring school districts and the Legislature to
flatline budgets and absorb a transfer of some significant, ongoing costs to
the Education Fund. In addition, there are moves to either abrogate or declare
a moratorium on Acts 60 and 68, the touchstones of our progressive education funding
system that bring property tax and school system equality to Vermont citizens
and school districts. And lest we think
this is not a war but rather just a reaction to our dreadful current economic
situation, let’s not forget Act 82, the double jeopardy requirement we need to
suffer with for at least one year, and the truly anti-democratic 60% solution
of several years ago, both of which were proposed in good economic times.
Fortunately, the federal government is less convinced that public schools are part of the problem. The so-called stimulus package recently passed by Congress and President Obama, has $53.6 Billion that goes to the states, of which 81% is specifically directed to public schools. The relevant language is pretty clear:
“Funding must first be used to restore State aid to school districts under the State’s primary elementary and secondary education funding formulae to the greater of the fiscal year 2008 or 2009 level in each of fiscal years 2009, 2010, and 2011, and, where applicable, to allow existing formula increases for elementary and secondary education for fiscal years 2010 and 2011 to be implemented....” (See David Cyprian’s article on page 1 for more details.)
The amount that will come to Vermont is not certain yet, but latest estimates show Vermont pulling in $140 million for K-12 education. That would go a long way toward plugging the gaping holes in our local school budgets. Perhaps as many as 500 - 1000 jobs are on the block in the next school year (2010) in budgets that will be presented to the voters this spring; let us hope that federal money can be used to save a large proportion of those jobs. It is possible that this designation will not be popular in certain circles that believe that there is nothing that can’t be improved in public schools by giving them less money. In response, Nicholas Kristoff said in this week’s New York Times: “… for those who oppose education spending in the stimulus, a question: Do you really believe that slashing half a million teaching jobs would be fine for the economy, for our children and for our future?” And further from Arne Duncan, the new U.S. Secretary of Education: “We have to educate our way to a better economy, that’s the only way long term to get there.”
So we have a problem and an opportunity. The problem is to make sure that public schools get all the federal stimulus money that Congress intends us to get. The opportunity is to use it wisely to truly improve our public schools in ways that will last for decades. I am encouraged by the recent writings of our new Commissioner of Education, Armando Vilaseca, who clearly supports a major change in how schools operate in the interests of moving away from pro forma systems and assessments toward true learning. It is up to school boards to get behind these movements and be part of the solution.