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From the Desk of Bill Cirone...
January 7, 2000
Supporting the Community’s Children
John Dewey said it best: "What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must the community want for all of its children. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy."
The inequalities among our public schools have been well-documented by numerous studies and statistics. But equalizing services is no easy task. School leaders who try to level the playing field by taking away resources from wealthier schools or districts face the understandable wrath of parents who want their children to have all the advantages. Those who try to raise the quality of services for all children are accused of "throwing money at the problem" or of causing taxes to rise.
Plus, money has been shown to make a substantial difference among school programs and results. As Iris Rotberg of the National Science Foundation points out, "Teacher expertise and experiences, class size, better science laboratories and decent facilities do matter. If they don’t, rich, high performing school districts haven’t heard the message."
But a strong case can be made that the overall basic educational structure of this country is under-supported. National spokesperson Paul Houston points out that too many children are prevented by poverty from fully taking part in American life. He says,
"In the richest country in the world, we still spend more money on cat food that we spend on school textbooks."
And writer David Martin makes a very strong case for public support of public schools. He points out that if failing support for schools results in significant numbers of the next generation being barred from entry to the middle class, we will all be in big trouble.
He writes: "The bill should arrive just about the time we are settling down for a glide into our golden years. Masses of the ill-educated and jobless could be all we have to comfort us in our old age. We will have to rely on them to staff our hospitals and nursing homes, patrol our streets and shores, maintain our roads and recreation facilities and build our retirement villages and foreign trade."
In short, there is good reason to care deeply about the education of other people’s children. It is enlightened self-interest. Support for public education supports not only our democratic principle of providing every child with the opportunity to succeed, but it also insures the ultimate comfort and security of the generation that preceded it.
© Santa Barbara County Education Office
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