What’s the Deal with Low Funding in Education?

Somebody has got to say it - The education industry has got to start paying up. It’s been far too long since educators have been properly compensated for their work, and quality education professionals are dropping out of the industry like flies. This includes both kindergarten through 12th grade education and higher education. Years of draining resources from educational institutions has created environments and circumstances that surpass realistic expectations of what someone should handle long term in the workplace. Additionally, we are not getting paid enough for the amount of expertise required.

It’s been about two decades since a series of political conflicts in the American government and economic instability has strained funding from education, consequentially drying up the public education system. Movements of charter and magnate schools picked up the slack and have done exceptional when based in research to serve certain communities or populations. Private schools continue to manage all right based on access from a privilege population. Lots of people grumble and complain about making the system more equitable. Still, public education in 2019 remains the black sheep in the family that nobody wants.

Public school by original design is supposed to be the standard for quality education. Instead, many public schools, especially in urban and/or low income environments, are examples of what shouldn’t be happening. If you’re not involved with the industry, then it might be something you don’t think about it too much, but these are the four reasons why we need to start advocating more aggressively to re-invest in education. Fast.   

Underemployment

Retail and food service are great opportunities for youth to learn transferrable skills and build character. Contrarily, what happens  far too often these days is a lot of education professionals work at Target and as servers in restaurants as second and third jobs, because their educator salaries do not sustain a living. I don’t think any college level professional should have to work a second job to feed themselves or their families, but regrettably this has become increasingly popular. Rising tuition and dwindling federal grants and scholarships increased the need for students to take out loans to pay for college and advanced degrees, which means that education professionals who get paid some of the lowest college-educated salaries are put even further back financially, and often committing themselves to a lifetime of debt. Life expenses plus debt means that these professionals are forced to become underemployed in unrelated industries or otherwise held back from other opportunities at their institutions for lack of energy and time. The prevalence of advanced professionals in entry level jobs means that there are less opportunities for those youth that would benefit. It’s a terrible cycle that needs to end.

Low retention rates – apathy and high burn out

Many teaching graduates only manage to teach for two, maybe three years at the most. As a career adviser, I have also talked with alumni who have taught for years. They witnessed the gradual decline first-hand and are eager to make a swift exit. I go to countless networking events and meet disgruntled teachers who have already left or in the process. Higher education professionals are not too far off in entry and mid-level staff positions, often requiring master’s degrees, that do not meet the standard of living. We also are forced to get second jobs or move away for positions that make more money. Unfortunately, I have also observed that people move up out of necessity and lose heart of what’s truly the purpose of our careers – the students. Or worse, they stay in the positions in apathy and only meet basic responsibilities, stagnating their careers and the workplace. You can only push people but so far, and educational work cultures have pushed people way over the edge.

National teacher shortages

There is a national teacher shortage, especially in low-income areas. A 2016 study by the Learning Policy Institute showed that year had the lowest number of available teachers in 10 years, and a more recent study stresses it is projected to increase.

Public schools are practically begging people to teach. The hard sciences are particularly hard to fill, and provisions are being created for those without teaching degrees. This is not a bad thing in itself, but lots of people with skills in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) areas might consider teaching FIRST, if they knew the pay and work atmosphere were better. There are those that strive to make a difference, but in learning what it takes to teach, especially in urban environments, get in touch with reality (or wisdom), then decide to pass on an education career. Well-meaning people from other industries make the effort, and still shift out to non-profit or public service careers instead. Many who hold on to their passion for teaching decide to use their skills in another way, such as a tutoring services, human services training, or decide to forget the whole American system all together and go to teach overseas. The qualifications for teaching continue to get adjusted as a recruiting strategy, but the true incentives for retention, such a pay, are not significant enough to make people hold on to the dream  of impacting children and youth through education. Schools remain understaffed.

Corruption

Money shortages are an easy way to test a person’s character. When resources are scarce, people tend to become more self-centered and hoard what they can. Within the education industry, education administrators in need to make quick decisions with little often forces them to pick and chose who is more “deserving” of what and when.  As a result, the privileged students – gifted, advanced – get more privileges.  The truth is that a quality education is supposed to be a right, not a privilege. Furthermore, the salaries of education administrators are disproportionately higher than teachers or other education professionals, despite similar degrees and/or years of experiences. These inequities breed further apathy and resentment. Morale continues to decline, and the work environments perpetually suffer. The students loose out more and more.

All of this hurts my heart. I have spent my career counseling career primarily advising education students and alumni. I speak to education students and alumni about navigating the world of work. The younger students have concerns about pay and where they should work to avoid the chaos. The alums are sick of the demands to make something out of nothing. When I network at events and run into education professionals at all levels, the conversations about what is going on in the industry is dismal with little recourse. I attend political events and hear candidates with their big ideas about what is needed to get the education system back on track: it all boils down to money. Money, money, money. I want public schools to be commendable institutions that foster the basic developmental needs of children and young adults so that they thrive and prosper in a competitive global economy. I think most people do, but it’s time we as a country begin to put our money where our mouths are.  It’s time to stop pushing the professionals, and push for funding.