As we enter into the second quarter of school, things seem to be settling down. Teachers have established classroom routines and learned the names of all their students. Students have also settled into routines and come to school excited to learn every day. December brings cold weather, an upcoming holiday breaks, antsy children, and the beginning of what always seems to be a time of misunderstandings, misconceptions, and many rumors: SCHOOL BUDGET SEASON!
But of all the misunderstandings, probably none is more critical than the belief that we in Prince William can't afford to improve our funding of our educational priorities such as class size reduction. I wanted to understand how our ability to pay for education in Prince William County fits into the context of our region and our country, so I did some comparing, and here is what I found:
By the time this article is published, some other unfortunate locality may have edged out Owsley, Kentucky for the distinction of being the poorest county in America. These are, of course, tough times. Even in Prince William County, many hardworking families continue to face severe times. But as a whole, our community is remarkable for being at the other end of the prosperity scale, edging out all but six of the more than three thousand counties in the United States. In fact, Corey Stewart, Chairman of the PW Board of County Supervisors notes that, Prince William County is "...now the 7th wealthiest county in the nation." This is what makes it so amazing that in 2011, the last year for which data was available at the Kids Count Data Center, Owsley County Kentucky spent $14,096 per pupil. Last year, Prince William County spent $10,163 per pupil.
Admittedly, it is difficult to compare a large, suburban district like Prince William with a rural Appalachian district like Owsley, KY. It is well known that small and rural districts incur additional transportation costs and are unable to realize economies of scale possible in large districts. That's why it makes more sense to compare to school divisions like:
Arlington - $18,675
Alexandria - $17,024
Falls Church City - $16,612
Fairfax – $13,564
Manassas City – $12,108
Loudoun – $11,595
Manassas Park City – $10,619
That's right, Prince William came in last in our area. So when your child expresses that her class is too crowded and she can't get the personal attention she needs, it's strange to explain that we can't afford as much as the people in Fairfax, Manassas Park, or even Owsley, Kentucky. If she continues to complain about the underfunding of her education consider some of these rebuttals:
*You could tell her that all of the adults in her community are too busy bickering and pointing fingers at each other to get around to fixing the problem, and that makes crowded classes OK.
*You could tell her that some members of the community don't want to ask developers to pay the kinds of proffers that are standard in surrounding counties, and that makes crowded classes OK.
--See: http://bristowbeat.com/education/school-board-passes-resolution-to-reevaluate-school-proffers/
*You could tell her that there is something called a revenue sharing agreement between the School Board and Board of County Supervisors that should be changed, but may not, and that makes crowded classes OK. Show her some confusing charts if that doesn't calm her down.
*You could tell her that if she counts non-instructional staff as teachers, the student-teacher ratio won't seem as bad on paper. She's just imagining that her classes are crowded!
*You could tell her that even though locally we can easily afford a modest tax increase after five years of shrinking budgets that increase is out of the question because some of our local politicians need to maintain a clean anti-tax record when they run for "higher" office, and that makes crowded classes OK.
*Or instead, you could tell her that you understand that none of these things matter more than her education. You could tell her that you'll start having civil conversations with anyone who will listen about how Prince William County can make the changes necessary to fund her development. You could tell her that you understand it's difficult to learn in a crowded classroom. You could tell her that you'll ask her teachers what you can do to help. You could tell her that you won't take excuses from the people who need to lead us. You could tell her you admire the people of Owsley Kentucky for understanding the value of education. And then you could follow their example.
WHY ARE OUR CHILDREN IN PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY WORTH LESS?
Writer’s Note: Many people were instrumental in helping me write this article. Thank you to all who gave their input and advice.
Riley O’Casey is a local educator who teaches middle school social studies. She is also an active member of the Prince William County Education Association.
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