Op Ed Article in A2 News



Inaction on school-funding system leaves Michigan vulnerable

Friday, May 19, 2006
BY BRIT SATCHWELL

Joe Schultz's Other Voices essay (The Ann Arbor News, May 10)
regarding Michigan K-16's statewide ballot initiative identified the
"bigger problem'' its headline promised, a tight state budget that
has for nearly a decade failed to provide adequate funding for
education. It correctly identified the Michigan K-16 Coalition,
comprised of parent groups, teachers, school administrators and
university presidents across our state. However, its argument stopped
short in a manner that is all too common these days - it failed to
suggest even one small solution to its own big problem. Worse, it
urged us to not support K-16, and in doing so, that we do nothing.
All problem, no solution.

The K-16 ballot proposal is simple, sensible and modest. It arose as
a grassroots response to Lansing's ongoing gridlock regarding funding
for schools. Its primary goal is for Michigan to make a proud and
public commitment to excellence in education by guaranteeing that
schools will be funded to keep pace with inflation.

Some have said that K-16 is a "raise" for schools. Such semantic
contortions divert the public's attention away from previous cuts to
education that have pushed our school districts and universities to
the brink of financial "crisis'' (their word, not mine). If breaking
even with inflation is a raise, then throwing a life ring to someone
drowning in rising floodwaters could be called a swimming lesson.

Money is obviously tight and all of our worthy social services
compete more fiercely each year for slices of a budget pie that will
not satisfy everyone. Barring a larger pie (a tax increase is still
too politically radioactive to be feasible, despite the fact that
Michigan ranks 30th out of 50 states in its tax burden), scarce
resources then demand that we make tough decisions as to what our
funding priorities should be.

Our schools are forced by Lansing's paralysis to make those tough
decisions every year. Schools have repeatedly consolidated their
operations to force efficiencies they hope will cause the least
damage to educational programs. When greater efficiencies aren't
enough, schools cut materials, personnel and services, cuts that now
go well beyond the fat and into the bone.

To learn how schools have scrambled to "make do'' in recent years, go
online to www.michigank16.org and read what principals and
superintendents from across Michigan have to say about it. Their
comments will make your eyes pop. Schools are doing their part to cut
expenses even as they struggle to meet strict federal and state
guidelines. It's time for voters and legislators to do theirs.

K-16 forces two questions: "How and when do we break out of the
vicious downward spiral of educational cuts?'' Mr. Schultz's essay
addressed neither question, suggesting only that to reallocate
funding for any public services would be unfair to those that might
be cut. That argument perpetuates the status quo that served up our
current mess in the first place.

To the questions of "how'' and "when,'' the nearly 300,000 citizens
who signed the K-16 petition answered "education'' and "now.''

They recognized that education is an investment that bolsters state
tax coffers in the long run, and that now is the time to act. Make no
mistake - globalization has re-written the rules and is forcing hard
choices upon us. A "business-as-usual'' attitude toward educational
funding robs our children of their chance to compete in the emerging
global economy. Other states and countries are gearing up to pass us
by, and the status quo no longer suffices.

The federal accountability watchdog that the public demanded, No
Child Left Behind, is now on duty, as are Michigan's own educational
watchdogs, Michigan Yes! and our new high school graduation
requirements. We've put all of the pieces except adequate funding
into place to provide our students with the skills they will need in
a brutally competitive world. To come this far and then omit the
final funding piece would be a travesty.

We should heed the advice of corporate leaders such as Bill Gates: a
world-class educational system will attract world-class jobs and
research facilities to Michigan and keep them here better than other
temporary stop-gap enticements. Yet K-16 doesn't ask for world-class
funding. It modestly asks only for funding that matches inflation.

If we do not educate ourselves on the history and current status of
educational funding in Michigan, and then reorder our priorities to
answer the challenges that are right in front of our noses, we'll
continue to be ostriches with our heads in the sand, hoping the "big
problem'' will go away. Do your own research on K-16, then add your
voice, whether yea or nay, to this vital public discussion. Do it for
our children and our shared economic future. The real "big problem''
is inaction.