This online opinion piece deals with illiteracy in a little bit of a different way by addressing the education budget crisis that is currently happening. While researching this paper, I learned about how bad the nation is in an economic crisis.
National Education Budget Crisis
One of the ways to combat the illiteracy problem in the nation is by having the involvement and dedication from teachers. The question is how are teachers able to do their job properly when the nation is in an education budget crisis? As lawmakers around the country debate their states' budgets, they are at the point where about 100 billion dollars in federal stimulus money for education will run out. The end of that money will compound states' severe budget woes and likely lead to thousands of layoffs and the elimination of popular school programs around the country (Cavanagh, 2011). President Barack Obama proposed budget cuts that would reduce support for higher education by $89 billion over 10 years. Texas is facing a revenue shortfall that could reach $27 billion when counting population growth and higher costs. The hole was caused by the recession and a new business tax that has not raised as much money as projected. Independent experts have estimated as many as a third of Texas school teachers could lose their jobs if lawmakers adopt the budget Republicans put forward with the support of Gov. Rick Perry (Thomas, 2011).
What does all this mean for schools? The teacher to student ratio will increase and students that have trouble reading and writing will more than likely fall through the cracks. The schools will also have to forfeit many instructional items which will make the teachers’ jobs all the more difficult. Furthermore, there will also be teachers that feel that they are not paid adequately enough and will merely “coast by” in their teaching duties.
What is being done about these budget cuts? There are thousands of students and teachers around the nation holding rallies to boycott these drastic budget cuts. In Texas, thousands of teachers, students, and parents flocked to the Capitol in March to protest a proposal to cut $10 billion in state education spending. The protesters formed a procession stretching seven blocks and marched through the state government campus to the south steps of the Capitol while local band students beat drums. It was one of the largest grassroots gatherings at the Capitol in recent years, although it fell far short of the 10,000 people organizers had hoped would show up. Department of Public Safety troopers estimated the crowd at less than 5,000 (Thomas, 2011). While protests are making national attention, it is not enough. Increased class size is often cited as a route to increased efficiency. This is the most controversial idea of all, since both teachers and many parents strongly believe that smaller classes lead to better academic success, but if the schools hire the most qualified teachers they can, they will be better able to handle the larger class size.
Get involved! You can help these students and teachers by writing your state governor a letter and telling them to allow these schools to receive part of the 830 million dollars set aside by Congress for education. A policy change should be implemented that says that when Congress is creating a budget, education should be the number one priority for funding. For more information on the education budget, visit
“References”
Cavanagh, S. & Hollingsworth, H. (April 6th, 2011). Education budget cuts: schools face fiscal cliff as stimulus money runs out. Retrieved May 5th, 2011 from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/06/education-budget-cuts_n_845620.html.
Fitzsimmons, David. (April 19th, 2011). Budget cut disasters. Retrieved May 5th, 2011 from http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/8ec7376d-11dd-4312-913d-94c7aebba741.html.
Thomas, J. (March 12th, 2011). Thousands protest Texas budget cuts. Retrieved May 5th, 2011 from http://dfw.cbslocal.com/2011/03/12/thousands-protest-texas-school-budget-cuts/.
