#memorablemomentsineducation #27:
In Colorado’s public schools, we observe a unique holiday around October 1st every year called October Count Day. On this special day, schools account for the kids in their classrooms, and those numbers dictate the funds allocated to districts to educate their students. Attendance matters so much on this day schools will trot out all kinds of tactics to get kids to show. (I’m sure there’s a similar audit in other states, I just don’t have much knowledge of what they look like elsewhere.)
Depending on what chart or source you consult, you’ll find a different answer as to where we rank in public school funding. Suffice it to say, though, we show up in the bottom ten states, alongside our neighbors Arizona and Utah and those notoriously underfunded places like Alabama.
On this year’s October Count Day, after our administrative assistant came on the intercom to remind us for the fourth time to take “positive attendance,” one of my freshman students chirped, “Oh, yeah, we have to take attendance so the teachers get paid.” At first glance, that comment might sound supportive and “woke” as she gets the struggles teachers face, but know this particular quip was delivered with a good measure of teenage sass and no understanding of why we take October Count so seriously. I calmly responded (okay, maybe not calmly) that our count has very little to do with my pay and everything to do with their education, the resources they utilize, the services they receive, the quality of instruction they experience. We discussed what that money pays for, and I tried to impress upon all my students the fact they attend a pretty great high school, especially when you think about what’s available in other parts of our amazing state.
But, what really irked me about her comment was how it represents just a glimpse into the problems of our even larger conversation about public school funding. If you asked any Coloradoan what the most confusing state issue we face is, it would have to be how in the world we fund anything! The system makes no sense with amendments, acts, and referendums that have been passed over the years to help the situation but have only made it worse. No lay person can understand it, so in that vacuum of understanding, we insert assumptions about where we believe the problem lies.
Last spring’s teacher walkout or even strikes across the country seem to suggest the problem stems from low teacher pay (oh, and it does!), but really that’s simply a symptom of a larger issue with fully funding our public schools and our youth’s future. The reason we see the problem manifest in teacher pay is because teachers are the only ones who seem to be saying anything about our unwillingness to do anything about our schools. While I get that I’m in the trenches and see it firsthand, this problem is one that must be owned by our parents, our communities, our business leaders, and especially our politicians!! We all should care about our public schools no matter whether you work in one or send a child to one because a functioning democracy depends upon a functioning electorate, which can come only from a guaranteed, free, comprehensive public education!
Stop thinking we raise our voices so we can get paid more and start realizing we know and see how our students deserve more!
(P.S. Colorado voters, you have a chance to make a small dent in this problem by voting YES on Proposition CC. Educate yourselves, your neighbors, your friends because this matters.)