How to get out of the recession? Close schools and cut 12th grade.

Over at the PSU blog students have been following recent decisions by school districts across the country. Topping the news, Kansas City is making plans to shut down 26 schools, nearly half of those in the district.

"Another connection between the situation in Kansas City and what we’re dealing with in Philadelphia is the effect that new charter schools have had on school enrollment. Because the district’s schools have been failing, many people have turned to charter schools as an alternative. In the past decade especially, the number of charter schools in Philadelphia has increased dramatically. This has resulted in declining enrollment in many neighborhood public schools. Within the past year, we have seen the district propose the closure of some schools, such as Gillespie and William Penn, because enrollment has declined so much. Also, a “right-sizing” policy, which would potentially close some schools with low enrollment, was adopted as part of the Philadelphia school district’s strategic plan, Imagine 2014. "

In Utah a plan has surfaced to make senior year of high school optional. The state of Utah, faced with a $700 million budget shortfall hopes the plan would save $60 million.

For higher education the news is no better, with state lawmakers proposing to cut $600 million in funding for Georgia's public colleges and universities. Hundreds of students rallied at the Georgia state capital on Monday and have already collected 36,000 signatures to a petition to stop the cuts.

The move to balance budgets through cutting school funding is taking place across the country. And as the Philly Student Union members point out these actions are tied to an increase in charter schools that rest outside of the traditional systems of funding and accountability for our schools. 

The recession has presented an opportunity for public officials and lawmakers to leave the tough question of creating a sound public education system unsolved. Instead their "solution" is an agenda of gutting local districts and relying on charters. Students, parents, and teachers are increasingly forced to compete in a charter system able to expel students on a whim and hirer teachers under no form of contract protection. What is most disheartening, with an expanding charter system and in its' shadow the continued gutting of public education, we will see an increasingly unequal education system arise. Where we should have hope though is students like those at PSU along with parents and teachers across the country holding this national agenda for public education to account - reforming charter schools, searching out alternatives like neighborhood run small schools, and protesting the cuts in public education. 

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