This week, thousands of East Valley students and teachers will return to their classrooms for another school year.
They’re going back at a time when the debate over education reform in the United States is at a fever pitch, state funding is being slashed, and schools are closing.
Last session, the Arizona Legislature cut $183 million from K-12 education funding. That, combined with enrollment declines in some districts like Mesa Unified and Tempe Elementary, has forced governing boards to close some schools and “repurpose” others. Across the East Valley, schools are doing more with less — just like so many of the families they serve as mom and dad or both may be unemployed or working more hours for less pay.
Such stresses bear down on the classroom and the learning that’s supposed to take place there.
And yet, for all of that, there is something about this time of year — freshly-sharpened pencils, crisp white notebook paper, unopened crayons — that engenders not only a feeling of nostalgia, but also the anticipation of something new.
This could be the year that your child learns to read by himself or discovers a love for science or writing. Maybe he’ll make the honor roll for the first time.
It could be the year when a child loses some of her shyness and gives a speech, when a football player scores his first winning touchdown, when two kids who seemingly have little in common become friends.
Inevitably, there will be political fights this school year over funding, test scores, private versus public, local control — it never seems to end. And, as always, it will take strong, dedicated teachers to keep those distractions from choking their morale and the job they have to do in their classrooms. And many of them will succeed, because despite so much criticism of public school teachers, they probably didn’t go into education thinking they’d make a lot of money or win awards or become famous.
The best teachers went to work in our schools so they could achieve that moment between teacher and student, coach and athlete, mentor and artist, when something new has been taught — and learned.
It’s not just a new school year. It’s a new year of possibilities. So welcome back to school, East Valley — and all the expectations and hopes that brings.
samkat posted at 1:27 pm on Sun, Aug 7, 2011.
Irons: Actually, what we have is a good old boy cliche controlling the legislature. While I can't prove it, I would venture that we have a controlling legislature who react to money and ideology in their legislative decisions. They do not consider what is best for the average citizen when pushing their personal agendas. Now, with that said, I doubt if much would change if the liberals were in charge other than an effort to cater to the illegals.
Irons1 posted at 10:18 am on Sun, Aug 7, 2011.
Why? It could be because the people in charge here in Arizona have been the same for a very long time. Your education not withstanding, does not show that. It has been tea party "patriots" that have caused the problems due to their lack of foresight toward anything. The "tea party" has been here for a very long time and in charge of the legislature. If they were doing such a great job, shouldn't Arizona be a little better off then they are?
Leon Ceniceros posted at 8:05 am on Sun, Aug 7, 2011.
Blaming the Arizona Legislature and Governor is a cheap shot. These Arizona Lawmakers have their hands tied by the Arizona Constitution's Balanced Budget requirement. So where was there left to cut. The Liberals-Progressives and Democrats went to court to stop the Governor from taking 200,000 "working-age" adults off of ACCCHS. The Obama Administration refused to give Governor Brewer authority to remove these 200,000 "working-age" adults..not children who need the help but "working age" adults.
As for blaming by omission (and someone who is the size of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is pretty hard to = omit....lol), the decline of Mesa and Tempe school enrollment on the SB 1070 crowd. That to me is un-American.
To blame Sheriff Joe, Senator Russell Pearce, Governor Jan Brewer who were doing their "JOB"... to remove 400,000 Illegal Aliens from Mexico (68% at last count), Honduras, El Salvador and Guatamala from stealing American jobs, American identities, American Social Security, American Welfare, American Food Stamps, American cars and breaking into American homes and harming American women and children.
There are 40,000 Illegal Alien children in the Arizona School System. Multiply 40,000 time $7,700.00 (the yearly cost to educate a student) and the cost to the Arizona Budget is.............$30,800,000.00....THIRTY MILLION, EIGHT HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS....that could have been used to reduce the $183,000,000.00.....2011 Arizona Education Budge Cut.
Why wasn't this $30,800,000.00 potential savings mentioned (I only had 1 1/2 years of a Junior College education and I know about it)....why are the only people blamed for all of Arizona's Problems...over and over and over.. are the Tea Party Patriots and the Republicans.....................WHY ???