Funding Education

I am tired of people blaming teachers for the problems in education. Teachers are not the ones making changes in education. These changes come from the General Assembly. We are now faced with major changes in funding. Our education system is being moved to the private sector. Are the critics of public education going to blames teachers for this? Here are a few of things we must not forget.

Public schools take every student who comes to enroll. Private schools can pick and choose among applicants and can reject any student without an explanation. Students being removed from private schools because they will fail their senior year and placed in a public school makes the public school failure rates go up.  It would be different if students were removed from public schools for bad grades, attendance, or discipline problems.  The stats would be much different.

Public schools need stable support to maintain and improve programs. Any incentive created by the General Assembly to use public funds to attract students to private schools will mean less money for the public school since the money follows the child. This dollar drain undercuts the stability of public schools.  Claims that vouchers are being directed to low income families is not true; the private school tax credit enacted in 2009 provided scholarships to families earning up to $81,586 for a family of four. House Bill 1003 would raise that limit to $101,982 for a family of four. If this is low income I'm in poverty.

Claims that Indiana’s public school performance is declining are simply untrue. Steady improvement over the past 20 years in Indiana’s public schools has been clearly documented.

Parents who press leaders to fund improvements for their public schools will simply be told to take their child to a private school if they don’t like their public school.

Regarding school choice many families would choose religious schools for their children for religious reasons. Taxpayers, however, should not be obligated to send students to parochial schools even if that is the choice of the parents. That is why the Indiana Constitution says: “No money shall be drawn from the treasury, for the benefit of any religious or theological institution.” Our public policies must avoid financial entanglements with religious schools. School choice should be offered within the arena of public schools, through neighborhood schools, magnet schools, tuition transfer to nearby districts, virtual schools and the 62 charter schools now available. There is for the families who wish control of their children s education the opportunity to home school.

I know my view of not supporting religious schools may come as a surprise to some. Here is my concerns about supporting religious schools. Back in 2009 the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota filed suit against a publicly funded charter school alleging that it is promoting the Muslim religion and is leasing school space from a religious organization without following state law. The school is using federal and state money to promote religion in violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis against Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy, known as TIZA, and the Minnesota Department of Education, which the ACLU says is at fault for failing to uncover and stop the alleged transgressions. I never thought I would ever agree with the ACLU---but on this one I do.

In 2008 the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released their annual school report cards and the results show that two taxpayer-financed Islamic charter schools operated by officials of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have failed miserably yet again. But protected by powerful political connections. The Islamic extremists running the operation appear to have no fear of losing their cash cows. In fact, Ohio educrats has renewed one school’s contract after five years of complete academic failure. The Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released their annual school report cards this week, and the results show that two taxpayer-financed Islamic charter schools operated by officials of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have failed miserably yet again. But protected by powerful political connections, including Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, and apparently indifferent to their exploitation of the Somali children that comprise the vast majority of their students, the Islamic extremists running the operation appear to have no fear of losing their cash cows. In fact, Ohio educrats have renewed one school’s contract after five years of complete academic failure. Students no doubt scored high on Jihad and anti-American activities.

Do I need to continue to add more examples why supporting religious schools should never be supported by taxpayer dollars? If a religious school was started on the premise it is the will of God---then God will provide the financial support. Government support means government control.

Write or call you Representative and tell them Public Dollars Should Stay with Public School Students and Should NOT Be Diverted To Help Private Schools.

Most people fail to realize that it cost about $129.00 a day to incarcerate a prisoner. That totals to $47,099.00 for each year they are in prison. In 2009 there were 27,000 incarcerated in Indiana at $47,099 a year that is $1,271,295,000 cost in crime just to keep them in prison! That does not include the cost in child support, and welfare payment to take care of the inmates family. The number of students enroll in public school in 2009-2010 was 1,047,145 at an average cost of $6,857 which is about $38.00 a day based on 180 day school year. You do the math which is better more money for prisons or schools.