John Monfredo: Is Public Education A Priority in This City?
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Despite the efforts of the CPPAC (City-wide Parent Planning Advisory Council) in requesting that the City Council increase funding to the school budget the council said that there was not any area that could be cut to offset the school deficit. Thus, our schools will be losing the services of about 44 teachers, many programs that have been successful in meeting the needs of the students, and other personal (parent liaisons, credit recovery personal) who provide services to the students and families. In addition, many elementary class sizes will be hovering around 29 students per classroom.
I am well aware that the city just can’t manufacture the revenue but there are standing issues that still have NOT been addressed. Looking back four years the City charged the Schools a 3% processing fee for grants. This was up from 1%. Since this arrangement has gone into effect the school department has had to give the city around four million dollars from its grants. Most districts in Massachusetts don’t even charge their school department a processing fee. Does this seem fair to you? The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has stated in a letter that the setting of fees is the prerogative of the School Committee. Why can’t this issue be settled for after all we are one “city family.”
The same can be said about Medicaid reimbursements on getting a fifty- fifty split. I have asked that the city and the schools have a meaningful discussion on a 50 – 50 split of Medicaid funds that are billed by the Worcester Public Schools to the Federal Government and processed by the schools. There are school systems that do just that! This is an important process for the school department through Special Education Services and nursing services generate about $3.2 Million that is returned to the city’s general fund. Because of an antiquated state law, none of these funds goes back to the Worcester Public Schools but are placed in the city’s general fund to be used as part of the city’s budget. At least in the past, the city recognized the work of the Worcester Public Schools and provided some additional funds to defray the cost of the collection of these dollars. However, since the city isn’t meeting the required level of spending for schools, one could reasonably argue that the city is also no longer funding the contribution to collect the funds. So, the Worcester Public Schools are losing twice: receiving no benefit for collecting the money and no funds to offset the cost to collect the money.
Unfortunately, since the City has already allocated the funds that they receive for programs that are part of the Worcester Public Schools to its budget there will be no compromise this year. The only thing that we can hope for is free cash coming to the city from the Charter School, the Mc Kinney Vento Act, and Medicaid reimbursements. However, any money goes to the general fund and then the City Manager, with the approval of the City Council, can allocate revenue to the school budget.
We all need to know that education is not a spectator sport for it is an effort that requires partnerships. We need to commit to the African proverb that “it takes a village to raise a child.” We need the community to understand the need for a quality education for every child and make education a priority in this city by supporting education with the necessary resources. John Q. Public sees the yellow school buses running and thinks that everything is fine! Wrong! When the city is in the bottom 2% of all 328 school districts across the state in funding education above the foundation budget then how can we say that it’s a priority in this community?
Former Senator Paul Tsongas, speaking in Worcester way back in 1989, said it best…”Nothing is more important to the development of a vital downtown than the quality of the public education system.” Education is key to moving our city forward. Teachers turn the key that unlocks the door to knowledge in this community and in this country. Remember, education is the only profession out of which all others must grow and yet it is the one that gets the least recognition for its contribution to society. Efforts to strengthen public education are vital to everyone; if education is to succeed, it must become everyone’s business.
Let me end with this quote from newscaster Tom Brokaw. “There is a place in America to take a stand. It is public education. It is the underpinning of our cultural and political system. It is the great common ground. Public education, after all, is the engine that moves us as a society toward the common destiny… it is in public education that the American Dream begins to take shape.”
Can we as a city do more to support education? I believe that we can….
Related Slideshow: Which Central MA School Districts Spend the Most Per Pupil?
Based on 2012 data from the Massachusetts Department of Education, these are the 25 Central MA school districts--ranked lowest to highest--that spend the most per pupil.
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