I was endorsed by Education Minnesota this week. I welcomed this news, because this is an important endorsement to me – Education Minnesota is my union. I believe in the principles of the association and will be a proud advocate. I’ve been a member for nearly 30 years, and have been active since becoming a building rep in 1987. My beliefs about education show in my work, and for the past year I have been writing about them in this web log. You can compare my views to those of my opponent, by doing a search of ‘education’ on this site and his, and you can check his voting record at Minnesotavotes. A quick look shows the stark difference between David Bly and Ray Cox.
One of the consistent themes of my campaign is that investment in education is a means toward sharing the pie for the common good. Here’s a report that argues that very point. Voters I encounter at meetings and when doorknocking are concerned about education funding as well. Click on the title if you want a copy in pdf format.
INVESTMENT IN EDUCATION BEST ROUTE TO FAIRER ECONOMY
As state and local governments face tight budgets, a new Economic Policy Institute report shows adequate and effective funding of education is the best way to achieve faster growth, more jobs, greater productivity, and more widely shared prosperity. “Smart Money: Education and Economic Development,” by economic development expert William Schweke, shows how more investment in education, from preschool to college, spurs economic development through increases in productivity, learned skills, technology and workers’ average earnings. At a time when our knowledge-based economy demands increasingly higher skills to stay competitive, support for well-resourced schooling and training is key, Schweke says. This strategy is also an important tool for advancing economic equality. As more public school students are poor, minority, or new immigrants, they need good education as a foundation to avoid many social problems stemming from poverty and inequality, and to eventually become productive, highly-skilled workers.
The governor, after all of his rhetoric that he would not harm education, seems to be arguing a different point now:
Minneapolis school cuts were overdue, Pawlenty says
Associated Press
Published July 1, 2004Gov. Tim Pawlenty says the Minneapolis School Board should have already closed some schools to deal with its budget crunch.
The Minneapolis school district’s budget for next year includes nearly $23 million in spending cuts. It cuts more than 600 teachers.
Pawlenty said Minneapolis has been slow to react to a dramatic decline in enrollment. He says he’s been told there are 900 empty classrooms around the district.
“You can’t have that much lost revenue and that much excess building capacity and sit on your hands,” Pawlenty said.
Last year, the school board considered closing schools, but deferred a decision until this fall after a parent backlash. Its Citizens Budget Advisory Committee says the board will need to close eleven schools just to handle the expected enrollment drop of 4,600 students.
© Copyright 2004 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.
Why is this happening? Do we know what is causing the enrollment decline? What happened to keeping class sizes smaller? Here’s another perspective:
Editorial: Buying teachers/Lawmakers must fund K-12
Published June 20, 2004For families of school-age children, the “selling season” has become predictable as sunrise. Whether the product is candy bars, pizzas or magazine subscriptions, youngsters and parents have grown accustomed to raising funds for school extras. Who can resist cute junior salesmen when the cause is new playground equipment, band uniforms or special field trips?
But increasingly, school fundraising is being done for educational basics that should be supported by tax dollars. Now that many school boards have cut budgets for several years running, caring parents are shifting their efforts to buying things like paper, other classroom supplies, books — and teachers.
It is one thing to have a raffle for new gym equipment, and quite another to pass the hat to keep Mrs. Jones in the classroom. That is a disturbing sign of desperate times. In many districts, the fat is long gone; now superintendents and boards are cutting into bone and muscle as they lay off teachers and other staff.
As a result, more parents and community groups are stepping in to try to close the gaps. Trouble is, those great intentions can create prickly equity problems. What happens when money easily is raised in an affluent school district but can’t possibly be raised in a poor one? Who should decide where and how the funds are spent? Are soft funds sustainable? What happens the following year when money for the music teacher runs out? (For the complete article click here)
and another: