Last week the AJC ran a story about Georgia educators who are moving abroad to teach and finding significantly better conditions in which to practice their chosen profession. The article notes some of the causes cited by the teachers: “a loss of autonomy, a lack of respect, micro management by school administrators” and, said one teacher, “an emphasis on test scores above other measures of excellence.”
I’m sure that a great many educators who read that nodded their heads and shouted “Amen!” No one should doubt that the past several years have been extremely difficult ones for the state’s approximately 120,000 classroom educators.
While I don’t think there is going to be any mass exodus of Georgia teachers to the Middle East, China or Europe any time soon, another comment in the article was more troubling:
“Another impetus may be a deepening pessimism about schools in Georgia.”
It is that “deepening pessimism” that should concern us all. Contributing to that atmosphere is the fact that the state has retreated from its share of funding, and local systems have suffered more than $2 billion in “austerity cuts,” many of them before the economic downturn that began in 2008. We have also seen our threadbare and ancient funding formula continue to underfund schools — at last study by about $800 million annually — because it has never been updated for inflation since its 1985 inception.
While there is yet another legislative effort to “study” the funding issue, we are not optimistic. The last effort, led by Gov. Sonny Perdue, was little more than an effort to kick the can down the road resulting in legislation that granted “flexibility” within existing funds to financially strapped school districts.
These cumulative funding cuts, which have had a draconian effect on local systems, make it very difficult for district and school-level administrators to create the type of supportive, professional environment that attracts young teachers and makes veterans want to stay.
Some are meeting this challenge, but they are in an uphill struggle. When you are constantly “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” it’s hard to establish and maintain positive morale.
Recently, one leading senator said that he was tired of educators carping about the $2 billion in austerity cuts. “It’s not coming back,” he noted. Another senator, assessing the bleak economics, said, “Maybe this is about all we can afford to do for public education.”
Instead of this attitude, we would hope that legislative leaders consider the recent Kids Count report that found Georgia children rank 42nd in the nation in poverty and measures of early childhood health and development.
Our students come to school needing much more in the way of ameliorative resources, not much less, than most children. Starving our schools only adds to our collective poverty.
We had best believe that young men and women leaving high school and heading to our colleges and universities are taking all this in.
Some may be so dedicated to a career in teaching that no obstacle or challenge will daunt them. But who could blame others for reading all of the above and deciding on other careers?
At this time it is sad to realize that Georgia does not seem to have the political will to make the types of investments in public education that are necessary. And that is the most troubling realization of all.
Allene Magill is executive director of the Professional Association of Georgia Educators.
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