Why is There a Lack Support For Education?

I do not think I have ever posted anything political on my little blog before, but I have been thinking about education funding a lot recently. I am starting to gear up for my job search; rewriting my cover letters for specific schools, cleaning up my resume, and thinking pessimistic thoughts.

The Assistant Principal I know who also works at my part time job told me that his school is most likely going to lose nine points. A quick and simplistic overview of how points work: each point is a job position within the school. The number of points each school has is based on attendance and funding. So, although the attendance is expected to stay nearly the same, funding is being cut and therefore they expect to lose nine jobs. This could be any staff position within the school.

This was not the news I wanted to hear, as it will be the same throughout the county. I will be competing with even more people; more people with experience as well as more recent graduates.

Much of my frustration stems from the lack of funding. I understand that all areas of the government are losing funding; however, the school systems need more support. Extreme situations are occurring all over the country. In Pennsylvania the Chester-Upland School district cannot afford to pay their teachers. In Elbert County, GA two of the counties five elementary schools may have to close - just think of the class sizes in the remaining schools! These are two of the more extreme cases which show what a lack of funding can do to a school system.

Now, there are different sides to every story. Some people say that the funding is fine, and that it is being mismanaged. Perhaps spending is at an all time high. However, expenses for technology, transportation, and supplies are more and more necessary as the way we live changes and evolves (a need for technology knowledge, suburb layouts require higher transportation needs).

I know that there are many different viewpoints on this subject, and I am by no means an expert.
I am sure that spending could be streamlined in many ways in order to better support student needs. However, I am also sure that to cut the number of teachers and therefore balloon classroom size to unmanageable numbers is not the answer. Am I biased about this issue because I am looking for a career in education? Yes. But, is educating children one of the most important issues in supporting the future of this country? Yes.