An old Greek proverb says, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”
“The incoming administration’s plan to abolish the Department of Education would be the equivalent of not only not planting any new trees, but also taking a STIHL* chainsaw to those that have taken root long ago,” stated Dr. Ben Higgins, a community member active in the civic advocacy process.
The abolishment of the US Department of Education, “the very department that was built to provide the tools required to continue to allow our society to learn, adapt and overcome,” could negatively impact the country for generations; “Our country’s ability to compete on the increasingly competitive global scale… would be profoundly crippled,” Higgins explained.
Higgins continued, “We have already seen efforts to redirect funds earmarked for public schools to instead be used to pay for private “choice” schools and programs. This creates a “K” shaped system where those that have the resources to excel will be able to secure even more resources to do so, while those that do not have the same access to those resources will head in the opposite direction.”
As Higgins put it, abolishing the Department of Education would be “severely detrimental to the equity of WA state public education” as it suggests the act will limit the federal government funds that support public education.
“It is no secret that Washington state is already underfunding… public education to the tune of about $4 billion.” Higgins explained, “the impacts of underfunding public education in Washington State have already been felt by communities all across the state, including here at home in Olympia.”
“School districts must start to have painful conversations about how to siphon funds from enrichment levies and other sources to fill the gap,” Higgins stated. “These difficult discussions further create friction within the district, as schools and communities have to then wrestle with which programs to keep, and which to cut.”
Higgins explained, “Another route that many school districts have taken is to simply close neighborhood community schools that both figuratively and literally meet children where they are at. The fallout from these discussions dealing with picking and choosing what stays and what gets cut inevitably reaches the students, and there is a lot of research to suggest that these conversations harm both the academic performance of students as well as their overall mental health, which take a long time to recover from.”
In the meantime, there are a few bills that constituents concerned with funding for public education should be on the lookout for this upcoming legislative session. Focusing on bills targeted at eliminating or raising the cap of special education funding, which is currently 16%, is important since the funding districts receive for special education is limited by this cap.
Kelcy Shaffer, president of the nonpartisan 501(c)(4) organization, OSD4ALL, explained, “By raising or removing this cap, schools would have the necessary resources to support every student, regardless of their individual needs. Advocating for this funding is vital because it ensures all children have the opportunity to thrive in an inclusive, well-supported learning environment.”
Since high-quality education depends on certain essential resources but is held back by inflation and limited budgets, OSD4ALL will also be advocating for bills that could raise funds for materials, supplies and operating costs. Securing more funding in student transportation is equally crucial since that department is already severely underfunded.
Washington State’s Billion Dollar Bake Sale movement has been working to combat budget cuts in public education funds. It’s a “grassroots initiative” across school districts to build awareness around underfunding in public education.
Shaffer explained, “By raising awareness about the urgent need for increased educational funding, the bake sale emphasizes the need for Washington State to make a substantial investment in education rather than relying on piecemeal efforts and community-driven fundraising.”
“Using baked goods as a symbol of the resources missing in our schools, this event calls for action to ensure that every child has access to the high-quality education they deserve.” Shaffer continued, “The Billion Dollar Bake Sale will culminate… on Jan. 30th in Olympia, bringing together districts from across the state to highlight the need for Washington to fulfill its paramount duty to fully fund education.”
In addition, throughout the legislative session, the cross-community group OSD4ALL will organize weekly Zoom meetings to discuss key bills and offer community members technical assistance to navigate and participate in the legislative process. The organization will also send texts to those who signed up to keep them informed of bills OSD4ALL is advocating for and how those individuals can be involved in supporting them.
Higgins expressed, “I refuse to believe that we as a collective society have arrived at the point where we are willing to sacrifice the future and prosperity of our own children’s livelihoods by inflicting profound damage to their education by cutting the entire department.”
As Higgins described, the United States Department of Education is “a proactive investment into this country’s future… with the return on investment being on the scale of decades, or perhaps even longer.”
*The leading brand of chainsaws in the United States
