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An Equal Chance to Succeed |
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This has been an interesting time to be a first–year superintendent. Financial problems have made it particularly challenging. But I can’t say that I wasn’t forewarned.
I remember sitting in a graduate class in 1998, listening to the professor explain that Proposal A, which voters passed in 1994, would not provide adequate funding to public schools in Michigan when the economy faltered. He also explained that Proposal A contained an inherent flaw – inequitable funding. There is a common misperception that schools are funded equally, which is not true. So any funding reform for public education must address these two issues: 1) stable, adequate funding for our schools and 2) equitable funding for all schools. There may have been valid reasons to allow the inequities in 1994 but with the new State high school graduation requirements, I can’t imagine a rationale that would allow this to continue. With every student in Michigan expected to fulfill the same requirements, every district should be provided with the same resources to ensure that their students have an equal chance to succeed.
Through all of these budget woes, this needs to be our focus: well educated, successful students who can compete in the global economy, who can adapt to shifting markets, and who feel confident and comfortable in communities far different from their own. Crises often foster bad decisions. We can’t allow this to happen with public education. The future health our State lies with our youth. How well we prepare them for the future, lies with us.
Sue Wakefield is Superintendent of Plainwell Community Schools |
