This page was last updated on June 29, 2011.
It’s about defunding education; Lisa Dawson; Beaver County Times; June 29, 2011.
Previous letters from Mrs. Dawson were entitled “Corbett mustn’t cut special needs aid,” “Put the blame where it belongs,” and “Focus on gay rights is a distraction.”
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Many people think Gov. Tom Corbett’s cutting education funding is a good way to punish those ‘greedy teachers.’”
[RWC] And here I thought the spending cuts were needed to help close a projected $4.1 billion budget deficit (before Gov. Corbett’s proposed budget).
This letter is pretty much a regurgitation of talking points from other authors on this topic, so please forgive me for repeating myself in this critique.
“I feel that his intent is to defund public education, thereby increasing support for private school vouchers.”
[RWC] In most common usage, “defund” means to cut off all funding. The current proposed budget reduces the commonwealth taxpayers’ subsidy for all schools but comes nowhere near “defunding” the schools.
Even in Mr. Corbett’s proposed budget, General Fund spending on education is 38.9% of the total. Health & human services is in first place with 43.5% of the total. Simple addition (82.4%) tells us no other category even comes close to these two. “Protection of Persons and Property” comes in a distant third at only 11.2%.
In a previous letter, Mrs. Dawson railed against what she claimed were cuts to Medicaid. If we can’t cut spending on programs that make up 82.4% of the budget, we can’t reduce the deficit without making things worse down the road. As you read her letter, you’ll see Mrs. Dawson doesn’t provide any suggestions about how to deal with the projected deficit.
“We must keep in perspective that we are trusting teachers with the lives and education of our precious children.
“Unfortunately, many of the cuts will be made in special education.”
[RWC] In a previous letter, Mrs. Dawson asserted she is “the mother of a child who suffers from autist [sic] spectrum disorder.”
“As a mother, I find the disparity in education for all children from district to district to be already disturbing. State dollars were the only variable capable of leveling the playing field for children in poor socio-economic areas.”
[RWC] “As a mother?” What, only mothers would be concerned about “disparity in education” if it existed? Mrs. Dawson doesn’t tell us what she means by “disparity in education.”
As for “leveling the playing field for children in poor socio-economic areas,” I believe Aliquippa School District falls into Mrs. Dawson’s “poor socio-economic areas.” As of 2006, Aliquippa spent $13,975 per student-year. That figure was $11,254 in the nearby Center Area School District (now part of Central Valley School District) and $12,312 for the state average. If anyone can point me to more recent data, please let me know. Aliquippa isn’t the exception for so-called poor school districts. As I’ve documented in previous critiques, “poor” districts tend to spend more per student and pay much less of their bill than more affluent districts.
“More affluent communities will be forced to raise taxes, and Corbett will be the hero for not doing so.”
[RWC] Belt-tightening isn’t an option for “[m]ore affluent communities?” If these communities felt “forced to raise taxes” as a result of lower state education subsidies, does Mrs. Dawson really believe the taxpayers wouldn’t figure out why their taxes went up “and Corbett will be the hero?”
“Unfortunately, the poor communities will see an increase in crime and more adults becoming dependent on the welfare/Medicaid system. Wouldn’t it be wiser to spend money on education as opposed to public assistance and building more prisons?”
[RWC] It appears Mrs. Dawson is stereotyping “the poor” as freeloaders and criminals.
“Seriously, these poor kids don’t stand a chance already.
“If you believe that all children deserve a quality education, isn’t it time to show Corbett and his friends to the unemployment line in the coming elections?”
[RWC] As I mentioned above, Mrs. Dawson didn’t provide any suggestions about how to deal with the projected deficit.
Why do some folks insist throwing taxpayer dollars at the public education industry will make it better? According to Education Week, in 2006 PA ranked #12 in per-pupil expenditures. According to the Commonwealth Foundation, PA K-12 spending “increased from $4 billion in 1980 to over $25 billion in 2009 - a 133% increase in per-pupil spending, from $6,171 to $14,420 (in 2010 dollars).” If throwing money at government education works, how can “Pennsylvania lag behind many of the other 49 states in education success” as another letter writer claimed?
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