Once again, several school systems in the area are looking at significant funding shortfalls.That situation could get even worse if proration kicks in — a real possibility this year if the economy continues its often volatile downslide.
And high gas prices — and energy expenses over all — are compounding the problem, especially with systems where a large number of students rely on buses to get them to and from school.
In just two examples, Talladega city schools are looking at a deficit of $276,941 — more than a quarter of a million dollars, and Talladega County schools are facing a $471,545 shortfall — just shy of half a million dollars.
Those are not small figures — especially for systems in a rural area that is already often under-funded when it comes to educating our children.
While it’s easy for some people to place quick blame on our school systems for inefficiently using their funding, for the most part that is not the case, and is just another paper tiger to distract people from the real problem — Alabama does a poor job of funding education.
Schools here have already trimmed back administrative staff and other central office and operating expenses, but despite those best efforts, some of the cuts are going to come from classroom instruction and other education programs.
What’s worse, at a time when we should be expanding many school programs so our students can remain competitive with children from other states and, especially, other countries, the money to do that simply won’t be there — especially if we face proration.
The underlying problem is that our school funding is tied to sales tax and is far too susceptible to economic volatility — if we face an economic slowdown, the financial rug gets yanked out from under our schools.
Not only does this shortchange our students and teachers, it makes it difficult for the state government and local systems to make any sort of concrete budget plans because of the uncertainty of the economy.
It’s time for Alabama to take a hard look at how we pay for our children’s education. We need to find alternative revenue sources, like property taxes, that not only adequately fund education, but do so reliably year after year.
