I'm a pretty conservative guy when it comes to the spending of my money. You can't be raised German and be a part of a family who struggled financially for a while without that rubbing off on you as well.
That being said, there are still a few places where I splurge when it comes to spending. One of those is for my kids' education.
As our children approached schooling age, my wife and I decided they would each get at least one year of pre-school before heading into kindergarten. In this day's educational society, it's almost a requirement for kids to do well in school that they get such instruction.
We took our time and looked around at several places before deciding on their pre-school, and we've had no regrets. They've done well, and my eldest did exceptionally well in kindergarten after having her preschool classes.
My wife and I have also "splurged" when it comes to the school our children attend. We're basically on the dividing line between two districts, and we chose to keep them with their friends and group that they have gone to preschool with even though it costs me a yearly transfer fee to keep them in the Bellville School District. We feel they would get quality education either way, but their comfort level as they learn is important as well.
Why am I sharing all these details?
Well, it has to do with the future, both of my kids and for the future of education in the state of Texas.
How are the two related?
Well, my wife and I splurge on our kids' education because we know it is one of the greatest things that will help them become productive citizens in the future. Education leads to a healthier, happier lifestyle. It empowers kids to reach their potential and contribute to society in general. We know these facts, and we know that for the sake of our children's future, we need to invest now. We also know there is no cutting corners. It's too important. Therefore, if our budget gets tightened, we will cut all over the place before touching our kids' education. If things were to get tight, the cable t.v. will be reduced to almost nothing, there will be absolutely no eating out, extraneous groceries will be axed, and we will tap into savings if we have to. Again, it's too important.
Unfortunately, the state of Texas--at least the governing body of said state--doesn't seem to share our opinion of the matter. In the budget crunches that have hit nearly every state, education seems to be a target. The state of Texas is planning to cut four billion dollars from the educational system, and while this may help the state's bottom line in the near term, I believe it may have disastrous results in the future.
How so?
Well, let's begin with how I personally build any items. Do I look for the cheapest materials and cut corners to save a buck? Not a chance. I know that spending up front for quality now leads to cost savings down the line. For instance, I recently invested in a new ceiling fan for my rent house. The old fan (which came with the house when I bought it) had a short in the light kit. There was no replacement kit for this fan. What did I choose to replace this fan with? A model which had replacement parts and kits. Why? If something happens, I've got options. Did the fan cost me more? Yep. Will it be worth it? I'm sure it will if something happens. And I'll save a lot of money in the future if something happens.
But it takes that investment to prepare for the eventualities.
What corners are being cut by the state decreasing the education budget by four billion?
Teacher pay. Not good. The best and the brightest will be lured away by other opportunities where they can make more.
Athletic and art programs. Not good on either count. Both programs teach excellent life skills to kids that will be used throughout life.
Classroom size increases. Again, not good. Smaller classes produce better quality education. That's almost indisputable.
For the life of me, I can't explain why the state hasn't looked at getting rid of the standardized tests it requires schools to give. The most recent stuff I could find showed the state paying almost $100 million on the text and materials and classes to boost test scores. How many teachers' jobs would that save?
And something I haven't run across yet: will administrators feel the budget tightening as well? Will they be given pay cuts and forced furloughs? After all, what's good for the goose...
I believe if we are concerned with the future of our state and its ability to compete in a global economy, we need to invest in those who will help our state become major players. Our teachers and students will produce the creative minds necessary to do this. Cutting corners now will damage this.
My recommendation: cut other places in the budget to bare bones, cut TAKS, STAAR, or whatever other standardized tests the state spends money on, and invest in our future by keeping those four billion dollars where they belong: educating our kids.
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