Fund our public schools | Prescott

By Cindi Prescott
For the Kent Reporter

What would change if we fully funded education?

That’s a question that was asked at the recent Kent Area Council PTA forum on charter schools. The point being made by the “No on 1240” speaker was that the State Supreme Court had just found our state guilty of not fully funding schools. She said full funding of public schools needed to happen before public funds were used for charter schools.

To answer the question of what would change, let me tell you a story. Actually, let me tell you several.

In my fourth-grade classroom recently was a sweet little girl we’ll call Sarah. In third grade, Sarah qualified to be in a daily small intervention group to work on reading skills. She qualified for this group because of her test scores. As a result of this daily intervention, Sarah was able to pass the state test in reading. But in fourth grade, because she passed the state test the previous year, she no longer qualified for the extra help. Sarah passed at the exact score she needed and not one point higher. She still needed daily intervention to maintain that growth.

Without the daily small intervention group, Sarah became one of almost 30 who had to share their group time during the week with the remaining students in the class.

Guess what? I bet you can. Sarah didn’t pass the state test in fourth grade. With full funding, there would be sufficient personnel to work on a daily basis with every student who showed a need. Right now, the number of personnel is limited due to the budget and some children with needs are not receiving the amount of extra help they require to bridge the gap.

Another year brought me a student facing a divorce in her family. She was so upset she found it hard to concentrate on her studies. She brought a picture of her family member to school in her backpack to comfort her, but some days were tough. Because our school has no counselor, she and I wrote notes back and forth to give a little comfort. With full funding, there would be a counselor in every school that would lend support to those students struggling with issues such as these and help them focus on school.

Last year, a student’s desk finally gave out, one leg sliding up and making the desk tip. All the students’ supplies fell out, causing a big disruption to the learning environment. Time was spent picking up all the materials and calling the custodian who had to try to find another desk. The other desks we have are in a storage area containing those that have already died and gone to desk heaven. I then had to spend time settling the student into the new desk, quieting the class and trying to get us all back on the same page with what we were learning. With full funding, we’d have desks that weren’t 30 years old and falling apart.

This year, I took my 27 students into the computer lab to work on a poetry PowerPoint. The computer in the front of the lab used for teaching was not working correctly. Without a technology teacher, I had to call the district IT department and wait until the next day for the repair. With full funding, these issues are frequently resolved in building by a technology teacher. A technology teacher also has the most current training on programs that children need to know in the 21st century.

With full funding, there would be a librarian in every school. With full funding, there would be a choice of choir, band or orchestra for all students who stay engaged in school through music. With full funding, there would be class sizes that allow teachers to really give their full attention to each student; class sizes that allow students to traverse the room without turning sideways because there are so many desks. Each room would have one grade level of students, not split classes where students lose instructional time in their day due to sharing one teacher between two grade levels.

With full funding, high school students would have a full choice of fine arts classes. Full funding would include a nurse in every building to deal with serious medical concerns, such as diabetes. It also would include a vice principal for every building to free the principal to be the instructional leader in the building, instead of a lunch room supervisor. With full funding, a teacher’s dream of making a difference for every student could become a reality.

What would change if we fully funded education, indeed.

Cindy Prescott is a fourth-grade teacher at Crestwood Elementary in the Kent School District. Prescott, a 20-year Kent resident, has been teaching in the district for 15 years. Her four children have attended Kent schools and her grandson has begun kindergarten in the school district.