Political and economic analysis of educational issue of interest to you

Political and economic analysis of educational issue of interest to you

Choose a contemporary educational issue of interest to you. Like you did for your personal experience, write a political and economic analysis of this issue. (1,000 words)

On my last blog I ended by talking about failing Charter schools.  I am going to go further into that and discuss the effects on the economy when charter schools fail.

First let’s begin by looking at exactly what is a charter school. Charter schools are actually just like public schools for both elementary and secondary. The only difference is that they are allowed to receive donations from charity organizations and groups, and are free of charge. These donations are basically what keep this school alive. Since they are considered charter school, they are more or less free from the control and regulation of the state. They are not in any way allowed to charge for tuition fees and other school fees to their students. Since they are funded by charity organizations, the money coming from the donations will be the only thing to sustain the life of the school. From among the charter schools already formed, the ones that founded them are usually non- profit groups, individuals who wanted to put up a school, parents of interested students, education related advocacy organizations, and other entities. Yet, the state still has the control over the cash flow and other financial transactions made by the school.
Problem number one: “Charter schools are changing public and private school enrollment patterns across the United States. This study analyzes district-level enrollment patterns for all states with charter schools, isolating how charter schools affect traditional public and private school enrollments after controlling for changes for the socioeconomic, demographic, and economic conditions in each district. While most students are drawn from traditional public schools, charter schools are pulling large numbers of students from the private education market and present a potentially devastating impact on the private education market, as well as a serious increase in the financial burden on taxpayers. If governments increase educational spending, tax revenues must be increased or spending in other areas reduced, or else districts may face pressures to reduce educational services. The shift of students from private to public schools represents a significant shift in the financial burdens for education from the private to the public sector.” (Buddin, R. 2012)  The negative effects of charter schools have made major changes for the socioeconomic, demographic, and economic conditions in each district. These major changes are causing impact on the private education market, as well as a serious increase in the financial burden on taxpayers. This is a major problem for tax payers. I don’t know anyone who wants to pay higher taxes.
Problem Number 2: “The 2006 law mandates that any charter school that has received the state's Academic Emergency rating or been placed on academic watch for two out of three years will be shut down. (The ratings are based on state test scores.) The dismantling of so many charters has some experts worrying that when students are forced to leave educational environments where they have friends and feel comfortable, the disruption is destabilizing and upsetting to some of the system's most vulnerable populations.” This is from the Time Magazine article I referred to in my last blog. Moving students around and shutting down schools not only turns into job loss for many but disrupts students who already come from an unstable home life. My students come from that vulnerable population of poverty. Many students attend our school because it is convenient and close to their home. Many do not have forms of transportation and walk to school. Closing school means displaced students and vital learning time lost. In our economy it is already difficult to find and secure a teaching job. Closing and failing charter schools only make matters worse for our economy.
Problem Number 3:  “No sector — not local governments, school districts, court systems, public universities or hospitals — misspends tax dollars like charter schools in Ohio.” I often wonder first hand where the money from our school comes from and disappears to. Our budget is posted on our school’s wiki for all staff to see but many times things do not add up. We were way over budget last year and cut jobs but were able to install a very high tech and expensive camera system all over the school and install 6 huge monitors in the principal’s office so they can watch all day…. And there’s more- “That’s the first paragraph of a story this month in the Akron Beacon Journal about the newspaper’s review of 4,263 audits released last year by the state, which says that Ohio  charter schools appear to have misspent public money “nearly four times more often than any other type of taxpayer-funded agency.” It says that “since 2001, state auditors have uncovered $27.3 million improperly spent by charter schools, many run by for-profit companies, enrolling thousands of children and producing academic results that rival the worst in the nation.” One more thing: The amount of misspending could be far higher, it says.”  Isn’t that interesting? Where is tax payer money going? How is it being used? This to me is by far the most interesting and exploitive article on Charter school issues. “Ohio has allowed charter schools to open and operate with virtually no transparency, leading to so many academic and financial problems that Gov. John Kasich promised real reforms this year. Ohioans are still waiting for the policymakers to decide whether they will really rein in the sector or pretend as if they are.” (Strauss, V. (2015, June 12).)  (If you are in any way interested in the effects of Charter Schools you should read this article. I found this article to be very (what’s the word.) interesting and comical because I work at one of the schools that was mentioned in a not-so positive way.

Cited Sources

1.    Buddin, R. (2012). The Impact of Charter Schools on Public and Private School Enrollments. CATO Institute. Retrieved from http://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/impact-charter-schools-public-private-school-enrollments

2.    Butrymowic, S. (2012, January 31). What Happens to the Kids When Charter Schools Fail?. Time Magazine. Retrieved from http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2105733,00.html

3.    Strauss, V. (2015, June 12). Troubled Ohio charter schools have become a joke — literally. The Washington Post. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2015/06/12/troubled-ohio-charter-schools-have-become-a-joke-literally/