When it comes to public education, the GOP is either in denial or a bubble–and maybe both. Their budgets have had a demoralizing impact on public schools, their employees and the families who attend them. In response, the Republicans keep putting out bogus data about not cutting funding or asking why Democrats aren’t getting blamed for budgets they passed four years ago (hint: it’s because you’re in charge now).
The GOP disconnect was on full display in Franklin this week. State Senator Jim Davis, to his credit, agreed to meet with Macon County teachers to discuss the budget. Davis said he didn’t understand the unrest among educators. “I am astounded that tenure is so important that we’ve gotten so much backlash, not one email thanking me for a $5,800 average salary increase,” he told the teachers.
Well, let me explain. It’s the cumulative affect of budget after budget that underpays teachers, denies resources to the classroom and makes a tough job even tougher. Instead of just offering a raise, you’re demanding teachers give up something to get more money. It’s more like a bribe than a raise. And it’s insulting. And it’s not just tenure you’re taking away. It’s text books and teachers assistants. So you’re insisting on more work, too.
Davis isn’t the only one, though. Republicans keep telling us how the education budget is larger now than it was under Democrats. They should think carefully about making that argument. Whether it’s true or not is irrelevant because it’s not believable. What is very true is that less money is getting to school systems and that the effects are visible to any parent with children in public schools as well as school personnel.
So, GOP, if there’s really more money, what the hell did you do with it?
And then they whine about Democrats not getting blamed for paying teachers less. That argument can be summarized by the old saying “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” By the John Locke Foundation’s own reckoning, our schools have been underfunded for years, if not decades. So, the argument goes, since Democrats underfunded schools we can deny them even more money and voters should blame the Democrats.
Well, they did the blame the Democrats. Remember 2010? That’s how you got where you are today. And now you’re making the same mistakes. Don’t be surprised if you get the same results.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
“Laws for the liberal education of youth, especially of the lower class of people, are so extremely wise and useful, that to a humane and generous mind, no expense for this purpose would be thought extravagant.”
Those words and the thought and insight that provoked them were provided a very long time ago by no less than John Adams writing to George Wythe in April of 1776. Wythe inquired of Adams about a formation of government and how it should comport itself to the people.
And yet, after two plus centuries, we find ourselves still having to fight and scrap for that which was seen so basic in government as a provision to the citizens.
After due consideration, I can only conclude that the concept of ‘patriot’ has become synonymous with greed; self-righteous indignation and the skewing of the rules for the few without regard of the many has become job one as a self-professing ‘patriot’.
Yes, the Senate’s proposed funding of the teacher raises is a bribe. It’s also a “robbing Peter to pay Peter” shell game, as they would be taking away tenure, TA’s, and textbook support.
And the House’s funding idea is just poorly thought out and insulting. Using a gambling mechanism (one that the GOP has never been a big booster of, and that essentially and gladly takes money from the needier of our citizens) to support the raise. To find the amount of money needed, it would require a 20% increase in current lottery sales, an increase that no lottery program nationally has ever been able to attain. And their proposed budget also call for limitations on lottery advertising? Really?
It all shows that the GOP isn’t really concerned about addressing teacher salaries in a serious and sincere way. If they were serious and sincere, they’d fund the raise, PERIOD, and let other less vital issues/programs find support from non-ed-related, cockamamied gambits.
They want to take away longevity also, so that would leave some basically right where they are. So take their pay raise and subtract the longevity and it’s not so impressive! I hope someone called Senator David on that. What gets me is Senator Davis really thinks he’s doing good work.
Not doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result would require Sanity. Instead, they have Hannity.