Every year it gets a little worse. I have watched several central Appalachian counties lay off teachers.
Now, I hate to see this constant struggle over funding. So I came up with a few suggestions for how the school system could save (or make) some money...
Here they are:
- Do away with guidance counselors. Guidance has become redunant for most of our students in Appalachia; it no longer matters what they study, there won't be a job for them when they graduate unless we get some economic development projects going. Eliminating guidance counselors could probably save most counties the cost of salaries for 12-15 people. Getting rid of the guidance counselors would also reduce tension in the school: teachers generally don't like guidance counselors.
- Use typing and keyboarding classes to do contract typing work for local business.
- End sex ed classes. The kids already know about sex. Most of them know a lot about sex. I don't see the point of telling them more...
- Don't let the children and relatives of County Board members attend school if those board members vote against funding the school board's budget. Similarly, cut off school bus services to the neighborhoods where these board members live.
- Charge a prepared food tax on school lunches.
- Use shop classes to produce things that can be sold at flea markets and yard sales.
- Do away with music and art programs. There aren't many jobs in those fields anyway.
- Use the agriculture classes to grow things to sell. The profit and/or savings from these suggestions could probably come up with a third to half of the money needed to fund the entire school budget...
But Enough Sarcasm...
The problem we face now throughout much of the region is that economic development didn't take place 4-5 years ago and no one had the foresight to understand the extent to which the coal industry would collapse in the Southwest Virginia and Southern West Virginia mountains.
To cut education at this point would be shooting ourselves in the foot. I don't know what we can cut; but it isn't education.
The answer is economic development. The answer in each county is a group of people who will find a way to make economic development happen....
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