I never want to hear Democrats talking about education spending; I only want to hear us talking about education investments.Every American, regardless of if they have kids or not, benefits from all kids being able to attend a quality public school.
This week is National Education Week, so I thought I’d share a few thoughts about how we can improve public education. As a former public university professor and a mom of three kids who attend California public schools, public education is top of mind for me, and right now the federal government isn’t doing enough to support students. Let’s start here: Every American, regardless of if they have kids or not, benefits from all kids being able to attend a quality public school. Quality public education for all means that every student has a chance to succeed and become part of a top-notch workforce. It’s tragic that this has become partisan because EVERY American benefits from our country having the most educated workforce for our future. The federal government must play a role in education because it's in all of our interests to foster educational excellence and equal access for every student, regardless of their race, zip code, or how much money their parents make. And right now, too many communities are being left behind. That’s why I never want to hear Democrats talking about education spending; I only want to hear us talking about education investments—because that’s what federal education funding is all about: investing in our future workforce and our future economy. We should be investing in quality public education itself (i.e. in instructional materials, in safe learning environments, etc.) and in resources beyond the classroom that help students be the best learners they can be, from mental health counselors in schools to nutritious school lunches for every student. For strong schools, we must invest in our education workforce: We can’t have a quality public education system without well-trained, well-supported educators and education support professionals (ESPs). And right now, educators and ESPs are leaving the workforce in droves because of low pay, unsecure retirements, and because many don’t feel respected and safe in schools. We need to raise educator and ESP pay, period. We also need to boost security in retirement for our education workforce. We also need to stand up to how educators are being drawn into culture wars, with their educational professional development too often being questioned by far-right extremists. I’m proud to have written legislation that was signed into law to close loopholes Big Insurance uses to deny mental health care to public school educators and remain deeply committed to supporting our education workforce. To be clear, these investments of public dollars should be made in public schools—not in charter schools, vouchers, or other privatization schemes peddled by corporate special interests. We also have to make sure these investments reach every community, not just a select few. By investing public money in every public school, we can level the playing field for disadvantaged communities and take on segregation and discrimination, both of which are unacceptably rampant throughout our education system. By law, the federal government is supposed to provide 40% of special education funding. We’ve never, ever come anywhere near close to following through on that. That’s an oversight issue that’s predominantly hurting historically disadvantaged communities. I’m committed to being a watchdog and demanding answers from our government for when and why we have gaps between what our laws say and what’s actually being implemented on the ground. There’s no quick fix to education. We can’t just take the newest thing off the rack, put in the classroom, and solve all our problems. We need deep coalition building, meaningful investments in quality public education for all, and oversight of those investments to make sure all public school students, educators, and districts are getting the support they need. Thanks for taking the time to read, and be sure to thank any educators in your life! Katie Porter
|
Friday, November 17, 2023
I never want to hear Democrats talking about education spending; I only want to hear us talking about education in…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment