I have told you before that education is a cause very close to my heart. I have been a public school teacher in three different states, and I now send my own kids to public school. So when my family got the opportunity to participate in the Hear Me portion of the Campaign for Fair Education Funding to “turn up the volume on kids’ voices,” I jumped at the chance to be heard!
My kids are fortunate that we have always had the option to choose our residence based on the reputation of the schools in the area. Living in a good school district is always our number one priority when choosing a place to live. But some families don’t have the option to just pick up and move if their schools aren’t delivering for their students, and right now the way that schools are funded is not entirely fair.
I saw the differences for myself when I was a classroom teacher. When I taught in a high-income district, we had the money for resources like a fully stocked library, a science lab and state-of-the-art computers. We also had lower student-to-teacher ratios that certainly put our students at an advantage. Once the PTA raised $100,000 in one school year to put a shade cover over the playground. In comparison, in my low-income school the teachers were not even provided with sufficient paper to make copies for the tests required as part of the curriculum. I asked my church for donations of reams of paper, and the teachers acted like it was Christmas when they each got a pack in their mailbox. The difference is notable. A recent report by the National Center on Education Statistics found that Pennsylvania has the widest funding gap between wealthy and poor school districts of any state in the country. Per-pupil spending in Pennsylvania’s poorest districts is 33% less than in its
wealthiest districts.
The Campaign for Fair Education Funding is proposing a change in the way that funding is distributed so that the funds are distributed more fairly and every student has access to the resources they deserve. The campaign is made up of more than 50 organizations across the commonwealth, including education advocates, teachers, school administrators, business leaders and church groups. The goal is ensure that Pennsylvania adopts and maintains an adequate and equitable system of funding public education by 2016. That means every public school must have the resources necessary to enable every child to meet state academic standards, be prepared for post-secondary success, and become productive, knowledgeable, and engaged adults—no matter where the student lives.
You can read more about the Campaign for Fair Education Funding here.
But don’t take my word for it. Listen to my 6-year-old daughter, Abby, tell you about her school in her own words. Hear how she responds to the question, “How would you feel if your school didn’t have all of the things you needed?” Even a kindergartener knows that isn’t fair and it is disappointing.
We are fortunate that the only thing that Abby feels her school is missing is a slide. There are other students in our own state who are not so lucky. We are participating in this campaign for them.
You can get involved and speak out for students across the state! Visit the Campaign for Fair Education Funding’s website to sign up for the e-newsletter for critical updates during the upcoming budget season. You’ll also find out how to contact your local legislators to urge them to prioritize public school funding and how to rally at the state capitol in Harrisburg on June 23. Plus, your child can voice his opinion, like Abby, through on school funding through the Hear Me platform.
Let me know how you are making your voice heard in the conversation about public school funding in the comment box below.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of The Campaign for Fair Education Funding. All opinions are my own.
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