by AFT President Sandra Feldman
May, 2002

Short-sighted
budget cuts will do
long-term harm
to the education
of our children.

As spring turns to summer, flowers bloom, children move from schools to pools, and state governments begin to make their difficult decisions about what they will be able to allocate in the coming year for public services like education. Unfortunately, though it may be beautiful outside, it will be no picnic for these policymakers.

This year, with budgets already strained by the recession, states are dealing with the effects of irresponsible decisions made in states and by some in Congress about tax cuts that will further shrink the funds available for education and other critical public services that have an impact on children and families. So, at a time when the pressure on schools to "produce" is greater than ever, bad fiscal policies are having a severe impact on the quality of education in many states.

More than 17 states have already reduced or are considering reductions in funding for K-12 education, and at least 40 states have been forced to consider budget cuts that may affect education. To mitigate cuts in what they consider "core" educational programs, lawmakers have turned to cutting early childhood, arts education, and before- and after-school programs. But all of these have contributed mightily to the progress in achievement that so many of our students have been making.

Harming the most vulnerable

In some states, districts are eliminating arts, music, and after-school programs; others have announced they will have fewer buildings open for summer school this year. And some have been forced to propose cutting after-school tutoring and other programs as a result of existing deficits and new shortfalls.

The worst part of these shortsighted cuts is that the most vulnerable and poorest children in the most severely underfunded schools suffer the greatest harm. As a group, poor students enter kindergarten with fewer academic skills and less knowledge than middle-class and more affluent students. And it grows increasingly tough for them to catch up as the years go by.

We know that early learning opportunities and extra tutoring, along with rich summer school experiences, help narrow the gap. And yet, the more advantaged children still retain an edge. This is in part because disadvantaged young people are more susceptible to what is known as the "summer effect." Over the summer, while affluent students continue activities that contribute to advancing their gains, poorer students, whose families can’t afford extra tutoring, computers, museum trips, or summer camps, fall back. The importance of leveling the playing field for disadvantaged youngsters becomes abundantly clear.

 Budgets that cut education in the short run will end up with higher costs to society in the long run. Cities and states--as well as the federal government--have a responsibility to support education. This is especially important now that states and districts, under the new Leave No Child Behind Act, have significant new roles.

The increase in federal funding this year targets resources to disadvantaged children. Those funds can be used for preschool, extended-day, and extended-year programs and will aid states struggling to provide extra help for poor children. But the commitment to this kind of funding must continue in subsequent years. To do otherwise is bad budget policy, bad education policy, and just plain bad for children. So is the vast underfunding of many effective programs targeted to disadvantaged young people. Head Start, for example, the early childhood education and care program that receives federal funds, currently reaches only one-third of eligible children. Fully funding Head Start, with a strong focus on proven programs that help with school readiness and early reading skills, would be an important first step toward meeting our national commitment to provide a quality early learning opportunity for all children.

Narrowing the achievement gap

We have made great strides in education in this country in recent years, and many communities are beginning to narrow the achievement gap between rich and poor by raising academic standards, reducing class size, and putting research-based instruction into classrooms.

As the summer approaches, some families will head off to vacations and many students will take a break from their textbooks. But for other young people, it is a critical time to make up ground, reinforce the progress made during the school year, or get additional enriching educational opportunities. Wise investment in education is to our children as spring showers are to blooming flowers.

The AFT’s online learning calendar is a fun resource to help keep students involved in learning all summer long.