Where's the money?
The President of the US recently released his budget for the next fiscal year. The usual trade groups expressed their support for his, which calls for increased spending in education that will supposedly help address the critical shortage of educators in our nation’s schools as well as help millions of students achieve their academic dreams.
But will it?
As our nation faces an unprecedented challenge hiring and retaining well-qualified educators to lead our classrooms, this shortage has been exacerbated by the pandemic, declining wages relative to punishing inflation, and difficult work environments. The president’s aspirational budget proposal seems to seek to address many of these challenges.
President Biden calls for funding the Department of Education at $90 billion, more than $10 billion above the 2023 net enacted level. Specifically, the president calls for the following:
$132 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership program (an increase of $62 million) to “strengthen and promote innovative educator preparation programs at institutions of higher education.”
$30 million for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence program (an increase of $15 million) to “increase the number of well-prepared teachers graduating from minority-serving institutions.”
$93 million for Supporting Effective Education Development (an increase of $13 million) to “implement evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, or enhance the skills of educators.”
$200 million (an increase of $27 million) for the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund
$304 million to train and retain special education teachers, related service providers, and early intervention personnel.
$178 million to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (a 27 percent increase) to ensure that students of all backgrounds have access to a safe learning environment.
$73 million to support American history and civics education programs, and
Increasing the maximum Pell Grant by $820.
The president also calls for $335 million (a $50 million increase) to expand the Department of Labor’s Registered Apprenticeship program to expand opportunities in high-growth fields, including education, while increasing the number of workers from historically underrepresented groups, including people of color and women, who participate in Registered Apprenticeships.
That’s a lot. But let’s look below the fold at the details.
Having only recently gone through AmeriCorps’ Teach for America program, and having recently completed my internship at the august Loyola Marymount University, and being employed now as a Special Education RSP teacher at the country’s second largest school district … I call bullshit.
I have seen none of this money in my journey to the classroom.
Loyola’s ed school costs $48k per year. AmeriCorps provides a stipend for service that can be applied towards the cost of our eduction, but that stipend is taxed … reducing its effectiveness. It was only 1/6th the cost of the year’s tuition. The school encouraged those attending to take out loans to cover the rest, putting new educators on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars.
As I write this, my union (UTLA) is about to go on strike with our SEIU counterparts on campus over wage theft, unfair labour practices, and below poverty wages. Everyone believes that this money from the Federal budget is being used to improve things in schools. Again, I call bullshit. LAUSD is sitting on almost $5 BILLION dollars whilst paying poverty wages to teachers and support staff.
Yes, poverty wages.
Even with a PhD, and the resulting salary boost, I qualify for low-income phone service, the maximum poverty credit on my electricity bill, and CalFresh - the state’s food assistance program.
Considering the cost of college and credentialling, its no wonder that schools are having trouble finding teachers when all they pay is poverty wages.
So, before you cheer on the President for proposing more money to “solve the problems in schools,” ask yourself, “what happened to the billions sent to states from the previous budgets?” Why, for example, is LAUSD sitting on $5 BILLION dollars?
What this system lacks is accountability.
It’s time for that to change.
— December 16, 2023 Note —
Some of the materials herein have made it into my latest book, Holistic Language Instruction. It will be out in 2024 from Lived Places Publishing and available at major book retailers worldwide.