Has Public School Lost Its Way?

It seems that everywhere I turn, public schools are under attack. For as long as I havebeen on the Upper Adams School Board,  every year is a nail-biter until we know how much money we are getting from the state to fund basic education. And it is never enough to meet our district’s projected costs, so we spend endless hours seeking to cut expenses without sacrificing staff or programs. It’s always a challenge.

As I write, the Pennsylvania legislature still has not passed a balanced budget for the 2017-2018 school year (which was due in June) and our Governor is desperately trying to find revenue to keep our schools functioning. Instead what our elected officials have done is to pass a Proposed Constitutional Amendment that will appear as a referendum on property taxes on the November ballot. Even if the proposed amendment passes, there will be no immediate property tax relief, but the General Assembly would be permitted to enact legislation allowing local taxing authorities to exclude from taxation up to 100% of the assessed value of each homestead property within a taxing jurisdiction. Currently local school boards must rely on property taxes for essential revenue to run the schools, so this revenue source could be at risk.

A more immediate risk for public schools comes directly from Washington DC. President Trump used his inaugural address to claim that our students had been “deprived of all knowledge” by our nation’s schools. He then appointed Betsy Devos to be Secretary of Education who has openly expressed her disdain for public schools, and is now working to increase funding for school-privatization and vouchers that would drain money away from public school districts. It is unclear whether public schools have the full support of Congressman Perry and Senators Casey and Toomey to prevent this transfer of priorities.

It is up to us, those who care about our children and our local schools, to make the case to our legislators that we support our public schools and the teachers who clearly care deeply about our students to ensure they have the funding necessary to continue to deliver a first-rate education. 

There is no question that we would not be such a great country without our educated leaders known for their achievements in every field of endeavor. We can thank our national commitment that every child is entitled to free education until they get a high school diploma.

What we should not overlook is why public education is essential for a democracy. The founding fathers were serious about debates over whether it was wise to put the fate of the nation born in 1776 in the hands of the people, or to put governance into the hands of the wealthy few. They knew that in order to have a sustainable government of the people, by the people, and for the people, that the people who control this nation must be capable of governing.Thomas Jefferson is cited as one of the founding fathers who insisted that a functioning democracy requires an educated citizenry.

We take great pride in being a diverse nation. It is our public schools that provide twelve years of crucial exposure of American-born students to students from many diverse countries, and help shape them into one integrated population. In Upper Adams we make it our mission to make sure that every student graduates ready for college or a career of their choice. Unlike charter schools, we are required to accept every child who lives in our school district, and we refuse to discriminate among any of them, no matter what their backgrounds or obvious talents or capabilities. Like every public school, we seek to give students the opportunities and tools to become the best that they can be.

In the October issue of The Atlantic, a wonderful article “The War on Public Schools” raises the question of whether we have underestimated public school’s strengths – and forgotten their purpose. Erika Christakis makes the assertion that we have neglected instruction on democracy. She asserts that [the purpose of] “our public education system is about much more than personal achievement; it is about preparing people to work together to advance not just themselves but society.”

I recently asked my grandson who is a freshman in college whether he thought we did enough to teach civics in high school. He responded that we first need to make sure that everyone understands the importance of compassion, or caring about the common good. Do we emphasize individual success above the need to take care of each other?

Maybe it’s time for our schools to re-examine whether we spend enough time teaching lessons that bind us as a nation. As Christakis reminds us, “We ignore public schools‘ civic and integrative functions at our peril.”

Elaine Jones is President of the Upper Adams School Board and a member of the Gettysburg Area Democracy for America Education Task Force.