Fund education! A non-controversial take for sure, but the results of inaction are quickly unraveling toward collapse.
In my undergrad I wrote an opinion piece for the school newspaper about how the Arizona legislature's funding for higher education has been last in the nation since 2014, according to the National Science Foundation. While drastic in Arizona, most states have never recovered their funding levels to pre-2008 and universities have had to make up for that loss in many ways, especially tuition. This, in addition to the coming "enrollment cliff" due to national age demographics, will continue to put pressure on these institutions that will inevitably trickle down to students. All issues aside, a college degree is generally still worth the investment.
That being said, I wanted to touch on the primary/K-12 education system since I've been reading a lot about it recently. They've had a much more prolonged and public downfall in terms of support and funding, especially in recent years. Not all states are on the same footing, though. Anecdotally, I've been able to talk to college students in Maine who are studying to become teachers. We speak about the educational landscape and the differences vs. my time in Arizona. Some big topics are 1. funding and 2. staffing. Maine is doing pretty well recently when it comes to education funding demonstrated by their recent budget hitting K-12 funding goals for the first time in history. While Arizona does have a history of increases, few of those dollars are making it to teachers. They still rank near the bottom in per-pupil funding. In addition, their expanded school voucher program has been funneling money into subsidizing private schools. While intended to expand access to school choice, in reality it has mostly benefited wealthy families already sending their children to private schools. It is my opinion that public funds should be used to fund schools that are required to teach the public. One additional result of the Arizona voucher program is that Turning Point USA, a political non-profit, is opening their own school. Regardless of how you feel about them as a group, this should be alarming. I believe that Arizona's prior voucher program for low-income families and students with disabilities was reasonable and should be returned to.
On the staffing side, all states are struggling. What speaks is how the state governments have responded. Maine has their #TeachMaine initiative in place and so far have been able to maintain their staffing with certified instructors in classrooms. Both Maine and Arizona have programs in place to partially or fully cover tuition in exchange for teaching in their states. Anecdotally I know multiple students who have refused Arizona's program because they believe they will be mistreated, unsupported, and underpaid teaching in Arizona schools. State-wide, Arizona public schools now hire non-certified teachers. Touching back to the previous point, consider that the state is subsidizing private schools who will pay teachers with certifications more than public schools can, funding their own demise. I place no blame on the teachers - this is systemic.
I question when we will finally pay those teachers more, way more, like everyone has been saying for decades. When will schools receive effective leadership and investment? Trust me, I am no expert on this subject and there are many more nuances. I haven't even touched on behavior, parents, school boards, administrators, politicians, laws/policies, or even the 48 other states. If anyone has a response to this I welcome people to respond through email below. I just want schools well funded, staffed with trained professionals, and supplied with effective support systems.
A fun extra: there is a corner of the internet full of teachers discussing how it seems that children today literally cannot read. This opinion piece has some insight, as well as this one from 2019, but much of this new discussion remains outside the scope of publication for now. I wonder the role technology and parents are playing in this? Is this the product of the infamous "iPad kid"? - just speculation.
Brendan Trachsel © Copyright 2023 
