Florida’s students at all levels are feeling the crunch with education spending levels down and worse performance on standardized tests. When Governor Rick Scott took office, he proposed nearly $3.3 billion in cuts to education (Bousquet & McGrory, 2014). Spending money on education is significant for teacher development, added resources to students, and facility improvements that are necessary to ensure students’ success. Florida’s educational system is changing at all levels; therefore, I have provided some insight and recommendations on improvements that need to take place.
Jobs are scarce for people without higher education levels. Positions that required a high school diploma have shifted to crave a bachelor’s degree. In order to prepare children for the future, education must be a priority in every state. According to the American College Test (ACT), Florida students averaged 19.6 out of 36 which is lower than the national average of 21. Furthermore, the testing administrator says “only 19% of Florida students tested as college ready, compared to about a quarter of students nationally (Benk, 2013).” Florida taxpayers pay the burden when children go to college unprepared in need of remedial classes. Student loans are more prevalent to pay for these classes, but the extra burden of taking remedial classes also affects them in the long-run.
Governor Rick Scott noticed that significant decreases in education funding hurt both students and teachers. So over the past two years Governor Scott has increased funding by about $2 billion, still well under his $3.3 billion cut to schools in his first year. Performance funding measures have been set by the state of Florida’s higher education system in an attempt to increase efficien...
... middle of paper ...
...014, from Tampa Bay Times: http://tinyurl.com/mbvumow
Kennedy, J. (2014, March 12). State economists forecast extra $150 million in tax revenue, giving lawmakers more for budget. Retrieved March 28, 2014, from The Palm Beach Post: http://tinyurl.com/m6ez8j5
Kumar, D. (2014, February 24). 2014-15 tuition, fee increases unlikely. Retrieved March 15, 2014, from The Oracle: http://tinyurl.com/n7nwcha
List of United States university campuses by enrollment. (2012). Retrieved March 17, 2014, from Wikipedia: http://tinyurl.com/lhzhu8d
Mitchell, T. (2014, March 19). House Plan Changes Performance Funding for UF, FSU and New College. Retrieved March 25, 2014, from Tampa Bay Times: http://tinyurl.com/ly2gzke
Rutland, M. (2014, March 4). Florida governor calls for end to university tuition increases. Retrieved March 9, 2014, from Florida Times-Union: http://tinyurl.com/o3a2bgq
Hauser, Andrea. "Regents Increase Tuition by 4.3 Percent." Iowa State Daily 22 Oct. 1999: 1.
A high school education is no longer sufficient to succeed in America’s increasingly complex economy. However, because of the high price point of a college education, far too many Americans are unable to afford education beyond high school. As shown in the graph below, the higher level of education received greatly increases the chances for employment and also dramatically increases the average salary potential of an individual.
Allan and Davis mention the spike of college cost since 1995 has increased by 150 percent; student debt has increased 300 percent since 2003, and with education, second to the mortgage industry in the nation’s debt, America needs to redirect their attention to the future and focus on education (Allan n. pg). Budget cuts from national to state
The latest amendment to the Florida constitution reduces the average class size in schools around the state. Although many people believe that smaller class size will help students learn by giving them more time individually with their teacher, studies prove that class size has little or no effect on student achievement. The class-size amendment is a waste of non-existent money, and in the long run, it will only hurt Florida’s economy and the education program.
To begin with, it should be noted, that the government of Florida is operated and established according to the Constitution of Florida, which is the main law document of the state. According to the Constitution the government is composed of three branches. First of all it is the executive branch consisting of the ruling Governor of Florida and the other appointed and elected constitutional officers. Second is the legislative branch, or the Florida Legislature. It consists of the House and Senate, as well as some other functions such as state auditors or the utility-regulating Public Service Commission. Third branch of the government of Florida is the judicial branch. It consists of the Supreme Court of Florida and other lower courts.
As the high school chapter is coming to a close, many students have to make a decision that will affect the rest of their lives. Hopefully, for many that decision is to enroll in a college and attain a higher education. However, as tuition costs rise, students have to take a second look at their options for a better future. A community college is that second look for many because it is the less expensive option. From 2007-2009, enrollment for community colleges has increased by 24 percent (“College costs and the CPI”). Students aren’t choosing a college for educational purposes because they are overwhelmed by financial issues. They are attending community colleges so they will be able to graduate with a lower debt. Some seniors have wanted to attend a certain university all their life and they work toward that goal through grade school; however, they are hindered by soaring tuition for that college. Students should be able to attend a private university if they mee...
Funding inequalities has been an issue from past to present, especially in the low-income communities. In fact, students in urban areas with less funding have low attendance, score lower on standardize testing, a low graduation rate. Also subjected to outdated textbooks, old dilapidated buildings, Students in the inner cities need to compete with their suburban and wealthy counter-parts for this reason funding inequalities must end and more money should be directed to these communities from: federal, state, and local governments.
With tuition rising every year, students face the challenge paying the debt achieving a college degree comes with. “Student debt surpassed credit-card debt in June 2010 for the first time in history, rising to about $830 billion — or nearly 6 percent of the nation 's annual economic output”(Clemmitt, Marcia). Not everyone has a ton of money just laying around. Being that financial trouble is the biggest problem for students, they begin to question whether college is worth it or not. In recent years, students have taken out loans to help with expenses. Most students choose to attend a community and junior college to help minimize the debt. Even after graduating with a degree, students still face the struggle of finding a job in this economic time. For higher class families this may not be a problem to them. But for the middle class and low income families, they face tougher times being that they don 't have the financial help like higher class families do. For the middle class and low income families, it makes more sense attending a community and junior college rather than a four year university.
To begin with, the problem with the American system of funding schools is the variations that exist among different districts or states. Underfunding exists because the United States federal government allows it to exits by allowing state and local governments to decide what their contribution to education will be. Such variation is exemplified by the state of Hawaii, “the whole state is a single school district and only 2% of funding comes from local sources”(Connell) and the state of New Hampshire, “the state shares only 8% of the costs of public education, so schools depend almost entirely on local property taxes”(Connell). Each state has its own funding policy and even among districts there are wide variations in spending. Urban and suburban schools with a high student population who qualify for free or reduced typically receive less funding for schools than their counterparts due to the differences in each districts’ local property taxes. Variation of this type and of this degree hinders American education.
Even in this time of struggle, with billions of dollars going towards various war efforts overseas, America still has managed to keep taxpayer investments in education higher than that of funds for national defense (U.S Department of Education). In the 2004-05 school year, there was an estimated amount of 536 billion dollars set aside from taxpayer investment for education purposes. Without a doubt, education is a priority for the American government, and if these funds are used in the correct way, there is no reason why each and every kid in the United States shouldn’t be getting a quality education. However, the organization of the financial system is flawed, funds are not handled proportionately at the state level; rather, this system favors the wealthier districts and hands more funds to them while the less wealthier districts are handed a smaller pool of funds. This really affects America’s quality of education, which also reflects upon how America fairs on the world stage when it comes to competition in education with other countries. The disorganization of funds in the United States can be seen in the Hoover City School district, which has bought every student in that district an iPad for use in school. The first problem with this is that this school district does not even have a viable bus system that can transport students to and from school. Secondly, not even 20 miles from this district lies the Birmingham City School district where a little more than half the students are graduating, compared to Hoover City Schools where a bit more than 90 percent of the students are graduating. If anything, the state should be working towards improving educational standards in lower-income communities rather than debating on the log...
Merkein, M. B. (2013, October 23). Colleges see a slowdown in tuition price increases. Retrieved January 30, 2014, from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/23/college-tuitions-rising-more-slowly/3151897/
The state’s new evaluation system was in response to administrators who produced, “superficial and capricious teacher evaluation systems that often don't even directly address the quality of instruction, much less measure students' learning” (Toch, 2008). Too often, the “good-ol-boy” attitude would insure mediocre educators would remain employed. Realizing this was often more the rule then the exception, the governor created educational mandates to focus, “on supporting and training effective teachers to drive student achievement” (Marzano Center, 2013). Initially, they expected the school districts and the teachers would have issues and experience growing pains, but in the end the goal was, “to improve teacher performance, year by year, with a corresponding rise in student achievement” (Marzano Center, 2013).
Although we need to provide a better educational experience for children, with current budget constraints calling for tightening of belts, not expanding our spending on education. However with the United States falling further behind in world rankings, we have to look at cutting costs that do not take away from the classroom. A major expense of every school district is the administrative budget, not the secretaries and custodial staff, but the school board and superintendents salaries. Many states have copious numbers of school districts all with their own superintendent and support staff. In Pennsylvania, state officials are proposing caps on superintendents’ salaries. “Roughly 70 percent of superintendents statewide earn more than the proposed caps, according to the state. Administration officials estimate the salary limits would save nearly $9.8 million annually” (Giordano). Besides capping salaries some states are looking at consolidating school districts, many rural districts throughout the USA can have fewer than fifty to one hundred students...
Fees and loans are too big of a load for young people to carry. A lot of students drop out do to the pressure of having to worry about all the loans they have to pay back after they are done with college. This should not be an issue to the student. According Iatham Emmmons, “Even worse, a large portion of students never receive funding at all due to the multitude of stipulations that must be adhered to in order to qualify for assistance. A major flaw in the current federal educational assistance programs is that the students’ parents’ income is used to calculate financial need” (Emmons 3). Even citizens who try to get help by applying for funding never end up getting it because they do not meet the needs required for the funding. Education should be p...
The federal government must do more to reign in tuition costs at the public colleges, that educate more than 70 percent of the nation’s students. The cost of four-year public college tuition has tripled since the 1980s, outpacing both inflation and family income. The increase in the tuition burden is largely caused by declining sta...