Time to stop the cuts to education

This possibility looms at a time when the Commerce and Jackson County school boards have shortened their school year and/or laid off staff to cope with the current level of state funding. Right now, Georgia is funding the equivalent of 137 days of education where kids are expected to go to school 180 days. Rep. Tommy Benton had similarly warned of future cuts when, speaking to the Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce, he said that the budget picture for Fiscal Year 2012 is likely to be worse than the just-completed budget.

But the cuts McCoy mentioned are in the 2011-12 budget. If they are made in January, that means they’ll also be in the 2012 budget — possibly along with new fund reductions that could further decimate school funding.

The problem is that every school system in Georgia long ago trimmed its excesses. They’re all struggling now, expected to deliver the same level of education with fewer employees, fewer days of school and less pay — even as enrollment continues to grow. Maintaining the current level of spending means reducing the quality of education; further cuts pose the risk of handicapping a generation of school children by shortchanging their education.

Most citizens agree that education is among the most important functions of state and local government, but if citizens allow the state to continue to reduce school funding and if local taxpayers are unable to make up for that lost revenue, our actions are not living up to our alleged priorities. The state cuts have already gone too far. If we truly believe that education is critical to the future of our children and the future of our state, it’s time to tell the state government to stop the funding cuts.

True, that course of action would likely mean increases in taxes at the state level, but the other options are to increase local property taxes or to write off a generation of public school students.

Either we fund education to the extent of doing the job right or we quit pretending that education is our top priority and let the governor and the General Assembly dismantle the public school system.