(MintPress) – If Democrats and Republicans in Congress fail to come together before their March 1 deadline, Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. would collectively see $29 million in cuts to public education — enough to leave nearly 400 employees in the area without jobs.
New York alone would see cuts of $42.7 million, leaving 150 teachers and teachers’ aides at risk of termination. The scenario throughout the nation would be similar, leaving the country’s children to bear the brunt of failed negotiations at the highest levels of elected government.
The public elementary and high school education system has already taken the hit in the wake of the Great Recession, leaving states struggling to maintain services with fewer funds available. In 2012, 35 states were providing less funding per student than was seen five years ago, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
Seventeen states around the country have cut per-pupil funding by more than 10 percent since 2008 — Arizona, Oklahoma and Alabama have cut the funding formula by 20 percent.
The situation among those working in the education system has been dire. The conversation outside of the classroom, however, has centered around the blame game — some pointing fingers at unions for the demise of the education system.
Others point to drastic cuts.
“The cuts counteract and sometimes undermine education reform and more generally hinder the ability of school districts to deliver high-quality education, with long-term negative consequences for the nation’s economic competitiveness,” a Center on Budget and Policy Priorities report states.
In the wake of the crisis, for-profit charter schools have emerged as a replacement. While it may seem like a viable option for a student living near a Charter school, the long-term implications could be an erosion of the public school system.
Diverting funds from public schools to charter schools that ban union organization and are not held to the same state standardized testing raises a question as to whether the education system is heading in the right direction.
Are charter schools the answer?
In many communities throughout the nation, charter schools have appeared as the answer to the education funding crisis.
When Chicago teachers went on strike in September 2012, they weren’t only protesting salary cuts, they were also advocating against the closure of 100 public schools, which would have created even more of a market for the city’s growing charter school system.
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a Democrat, was a vocal opponent of the teachers union, claiming they were only concerned about their salaries. Yet at the same time he was claiming teachers’ motives were on the wrong end of the spectrum, he was partnering with for-profit charter schools. The CEO for United Neighborhood Organization, the city’s largest for-profit charter school company, is run by Emanuel’s former election campaign co-chairman, Juan Rangel.
While accepting public funds, charter schools operate under a different set of regulations, compared to their public school counterparts.
Charter systems do not allow teachers to unionize and are not held to the same state standards, including mandated tests. And, with the case of for-profit charter schools, they’re able to make a profit through public funds.
In Chicago, the number of students attending charter schools doubled in five years, growing to 52,000 in 2012. During the last 10 years in Chicago, more than 86 schools have been closed down, providing the market charter schools now thrive on.
The United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) owns and operates 15 for-profit schools within Chicago.
The scene in Chicago represents the trend seen throughout the nation. According to the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado Boulder, for-profit charter management groups grew from just five in 1996 to 99 in 2011.
Business is booming — and all signs point to continued growth.
Gary Miron, a professor at Western Michigan University who specializes in charter school studies, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that charter schools managed by these groups only will continue to gain more footing in the national education system.
“Within a couple of years, we’re going to see the EMO (education management organizations) sector account for more than half of the nation’s public charter school students,” he said in a recent report.
Cuts to the public education system would only increase the likelihood of more school closures throughout the nation, as districts struggle to maintain services — and staff — with increased standards through mandatory testing and fewer funds to prepare students for success.