Needy Schools Turn to Parents For Funding - WSJ.com
A survey by California PTA, a statewide group, of about 500 PTA presidents in the state showed that nearly two-thirds of the groups have been asked by schools this year to pitch in more money for basic supplies and programs, from pencils and books to arts programs.
“One of the things we’ve always said to our members is, ‘Your purpose is not to be a cash cow’” to cover regular school expenses, says Jan Harp Domene, president of the National Parent Teacher Association, an umbrella organization. “But we know they are playing a critical part in making sure children still have services that were once part of the budget, from music programs to adequate custodial supplies. These are not frills.”
This is probably one of the biggest surprises I’ve encountered since moving to California - basically all Californian schools are needy. Frankly, I’m quite surprised at how much parents have to donate to schools, even in Cupertino and Palo Alto (some would argue that it is because of the amount that parents donate, that the schools are among the best in the Bay Area [though some get confused and note that they are the best in the nation - which is not quite the case]).
But then again, perhaps I have skewed expectations. Where I come from, 25%-32% of teachers make $100k+. In Great Neck, where I went to school, the median salary is $85k. The NYTimes had an article on this phenomenon in 2005. In Mountain View, it’s possible to make $100k+ ($118,684 to be precise), but just eyeballing the salary guide it seems rather challenging - not to mention this is for teaching high school. This is especially ironic considering the fact that houses apparently run for $382 per square foot in Great Neck, versus $622 in Mountain View. Property tax policies, and the priorities of the citizens are the only explanation for this.
Where I came from in Long Island, the citizens generally supposed the school district budgets and the tax burden was shared equally. On the other hand, Proposition 13 has resulted in oddities like this:
8XX Arroyo Road, Los Altos, CA
2008 Property Tax: $1,586
8YY Arroyo Road, Los Altos, CA (next door to 8xx)
2008 Property Tax: $20,166
In California’s future, I see an ever increasing burden on the cost of public education placed on families who have children. Effectively, California will have three tiers of schools: private schools, public schools which are funded partially like private schools, and very poor public schools in very poor communities. Parents who move to California and have children will be expected to pay for their children’s education - unlike the community based approach in the years before. And that’s just K-12 - a recent interview I heard with the Chancellor of Berkeley pointed out that public funding for the UCs is also at an all time low.
I suspect that won’t help this problem very much:
California is suffering a “brain drain,” they said, losing educated residents to other states. With expensive housing making it difficult to attract and retained skilled workers, the state should not rely on college graduates from other places, they said.
It “is extremely unlikely that the projected need for highly skilled workers will be met mainly through the increased migration of college-educated workers,” wrote researchers Hans Johnson and Deborah Reed. “However, increases in college participation and graduation among California’s residents could help meet these future demands.”
The researchers found that California would need to attract nearly 160,000 college graduates from other states and countries by 2025 to meet economic demands.
One of my colleagues in Redmond once observed about California: “What happened to children being the future?”
I’m not quite sure.