Mr. High School Counselor

Bailout for Education

November 20, 2008

This is a letter I sent to Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and Representative Norm Dicks. I also sent it to The Tacoma News Tribune.

Honorable Senator Murray,

As a high school counselor at Woodrow Wilson High School in Tacoma, and as the parent of a high school senior and an eighth grader, I make it my business to keep up with issues surrounding funding for public school and colleges.  I am deeply distressed by the news of the draconian cuts that are in store for public schools and colleges throughout the country, while unbelievably gigantic sums of money have been shoved into the pockets of the wealthy plutocrats who caused the worldwide financial collapse in which we now find ourselves. These bankers and insurance companies, driven by their avarice and arrogance have been given free rein to continue to line their pockets, to continue to produce nothing but misery for the majority of Americans.

Meanwhile, Washington’s students are faced with dramatic cuts in their schools, cuts so deep that our community and technical colleges may be forced to end their open admissions policy. Deep enough that our state’s public baccalaureate colleges will be forced to reduce staff and therefore to reduce the number of first year and transfer students they will admit. Private colleges are likely to face the impact of this crisis for other reasons. With less money available to families to fund higher education, the number of applications and subsequent enrollment are liable to fall.

Thousands of people will no longer have the opportunity to earn a college education and will not be able to reap the benefits their hard work would have brought them in the years to come. At best, they will have to defer their dreams of higher education until the doors to the colleges are pried open again when the economy improves.

But when will that be? How many dreams deferred will become dreams lost? Our younger students will be forced into larger classes as teachers and other school personnel are laid off. Drop out rates will increase. The few districts with arts programs may lose them, while athletics and other extra-curricular programs will be reduced in scale. Building maintenance will be put off and there will be no new building or remodeling of old schools.

It’s time for a Bailout for Education, a massive infusion of money from the federal government to aid our schools. You may ask, “What will we get for the money?” We will get better educated citizens, people who will become the leaders of our nation in the future. We will get a chance to find new and creative solutions to the great problems of the future. We will get a national deficit that has a useful purpose, a mortgage that can only increase in value as time goes on.

The ravaging of our nation’s future for the benefit of a few must cease! Please take a stand and lead the Senate and the United States of America to a brighter future full of hope. YES WE CAN!!

Entry Filed under: Funding. Tags: bailout, education funding.