It’s painful to watch the behind-the-times-because-their-funding-
is-always-being-reduced public education system in this country convince the powers that be (politicians) to let them make some changes. The old system doesn’t work in these here modern times. School funding based on attendance rates only worked when there were no off-campus education options. The warping of the current system is starting to get out of hand.

Somebody let the educators fix it, already. It’s been my experience that they know more about the learning than the politicians do. Also, being underpaid and therefore not in the teaching game for the cash flow, they strike me as more devoted to the cause than the political types tend to be.

This is from an article illustrating the quagmire:

The bright-eyed high school junior taking calculus and Latin at the nearby community college is ahead of the pack. But according to the budget books, she’s not in class.

Due to a quirk in how schools keep attendance — and how the state pays them — California students who take multiple college classes or job training during school hours aren’t counted for attendance dollars, even though they’re earning credits in school-approved programs. In a time of dwindling budgets, the rule discourages California schools from freely recommending off-campus opportunities such as internships, college classes and career training to students.

The issue has also cropped up in other states. To retain money, Minnesota schools have found an alternative: Pay colleges a small fee to train high school teachers, empowering them to teach college-level courses. High schools keep their attendance dollars, and colleges develop a natural pool of university-ready students, ripe for recruitment.

Attendance has been criticized as a shaky basis for school funding, too volatile and too difficult to track as off-campus opportunities multiply. This year, the governor’s Committee on Education Excellence is expected to recommend a radical shift in school finance, allocating dollars per student enrolled, rather than by programs and attendance. Under the new system, needier students, such as English-language learners or low-income kids, would earn more dollars for their schools.

This school district newsletter explains exactly how the current attendance-based system functions, and how the schools have to work it in order to get funding.

Poway Unified is calling on parents to help increase state funding during these difficult times. “Here is an opportunity to be pro-active. It is the first bright light in a very dismal financial picture for California public schools. Our parents and students can help during this budget crisis,” said Don Phillips, Poway Unified School District Superintendent.

“Increasing attendance is a win-win for all. Our students are in school and learning, and for every day they are present, our district receives more funding from the state,” said Phillips.

For Poway Unified, a district of more than 32,000 students, if every child attended school just one more day during the year, funding would increase by almost $1 million dollars.

In addition, principals and district officials are reminding parents that the rules of attendance calculations have changed from years ago. There are no longer any “excused absences” as far as funding from the state is concerned. The only way a student can be considered not absent is to be physically at school on a given day.

Schools in Texas, in California, and in Chicago have been known to bribe students with computers, iPods, cars, trips, free rent and mortgage payments (I assume for their parents) if they show up to school every day. Which seems wrong on a few of the more important levels, but also justifiable if that’s the only way to get the system to work in the school’s favor. Putting some thought into changing the clearly tweaked system might be advisable.

Posted by Alexa Harrington