Private fundraising on steroids . . .
Here's one model: a state sets high educational standards, creates a system of accountability to assess progress toward those standards, and provides the resources necessary to ensure that all kids can be successful.
Then there's the Colorado model. Over the last several legislative sessions, Colorado has been addressing the first two planks, but when it comes to the third — resources — it's catch as catch can. For years, as Colorado has drifted ever farther behind the nation in per pupil funding, our public schools have depended on private funding: grants, parent fundraising, activity fees, foundations, and occasionally the sympathy of well-wishers in other states.
In fact, private spending on public schools may be the only category where Colorado has ranked recently in the top ten. (See pages 17-18 of this report by Great Ed board member, Professor Paul Teske.) With historic cuts coming in the next school year, desperate parents, districts and community members are — by necessity — relying more and more heavily on fundraising, fees and grants. A few examples: — Douglas County has not only been forced to impose transportation fees and increasing technology and athletic fees, it has also beefed up its foundation efforts, even soliciting nation-wide donations.
– Summit County is establishing a new education foundation to raise a goal of $1.2 million almost immediately to help pay for the basics. — Denver Public Schools will use $3 million in private donations over the next three years to help implement an initiative to improve the availability of extracurricular programs and help at-risk kids pay for athletic fees:
National research shows that extracurricular participation leads to better academic performance, said Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg. . . . The program's goal is a 5 percent annual improvement in graduate rates, he said. The first-year goal is to have 90 percent of freshmen participate in at least one activity.
Private funding makes it possible for DPS to strive toward those goals. Unfortunately, budget cuts are forcing many other districts to move in the other direction. To be sure, Colorado is not alone in coping with the effects of the economic downturn. Parents in Massachusetts, for instance, are turning to fundraising to prevent class sizes from growing:
Supporters of private donations, primarily parents of school-age children, say they feel obligated to stave off budget cuts that might compromise their children’s education, even if they grumble about the extra burden. If they can prevent their child’s classroom from losing an aide or gaining six more students, it’s worth it, they say.
But for a dose of perspective, parents in Massachusetts are protecting student teacher ratios that are about 20% smaller than Colorado's. Private funding is mitigating harm and improving outcomes for kids all across the state. Ultimately, however, these sources cannot offset the impact of the deep cuts that schools will endure in the next two school years. Eventually, Colorado will have to recognize that there is no substitute for a statewide, public solution to this statewide problem.
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