Op-Ed: State Cuts to Pre-K Funding Hurting College Heights
Decatur Metro | June 14, 2011 | 1:51 pmAllison Taylor writes…
A very important issue is coming up regarding funding for our pre-k program, and the board will be voting on the teacher salary at tonight’s board meeting. I don’t know that very many parents in CSD know the whole story about what is going on with this particular subject, so please take just a minute to read this message.
I am sure most of you have heard about the shortening of the pre-k school year by the governor. Basically, the school year will decrease from 180-160 days. Many teachers throughout the state were concerned about this shortening of the year, but I think most everyone was relieved to avoid the half day proposition which was also on the table and let the issue rest when this “compromise” was made. HOWEVER, there is some very important information that went along with this bill that is not widely known and was certainly not publicized. Not only have teacher’s salaries been cut to reflect the number of days they are teaching, the state has also placed caps on the salaries. As it stands now in Decatur, a teacher with 4 years of experience, A Bachelor Degree, and a teaching certificate, will only make $31,303. Someone with the same credentials and 20 years of experience will only make $35,982. And someone who has devoted 30 years to teaching the children of CSD can only make $39,747.
The reality of this situation is that SIX out of NINE CSD pre-k teachers have left the Decatur pre-k classroom for more profitable jobs. Now, who will fill these jobs? Would you? Would you encourage your daughters or sons to take these jobs? If you did take this job because of the current economy, would you plan to stay? If not, what kind of people do you think will stay? Suzanne Kennedy is an amazing leader and principal, and I am beyond sure that she will hire magnificent teachers, but how will she be able to keep them if the pay scale has no room for growth? Surrounding systems are preserving teacher salaries, and are supplementing from their budgets to preserve the integrity of their programs, but Dr. Edwards is encouraging the board not to follow suit.
My greatest concern is that this issue is going to put an end to public pre-k, and if any of you have sent your kids to College Heights, I am sure you know what a travesty this would be. Some people don’t see the real value of pre-k, but if I think you would be hard pressed to find many parents that used the CSD pre-k that weren’t incredibly grateful to have that opportunity for their children. We are actually being held up as a model to schools across the state, and Dr. Edwards and Valarie Wilson will be saying as much as they present College Heights at the GSBA Summer Conference in Savannah.
There are a lot of important issues that have come up in our schools, but I think this one should rise to the top. Part of what makes our system so strong is that our kids get a special kind of attention- the kind of attention that begins very young, when we can really make a difference in so many lives. Not everyone sees the importance of pre-k, but it has truly changed our lives. The issues that we have had with our son could have cost the tax payers a lot of money come kindergarten, fist grade, and beyond, but we have been able to work so much out with early intervention at College Heights that we will be sending a totally different child to elementary school. Study after study shows the importance of early intervention for learning disabilities, behavior disorders, and neurological concerns- not to mention the fact that our kindergartners are more prepared and ready to learn because of their pre-k experiences. Please, don’t let this amazing program die- it will cost us more in the long run- to our pocket books and to our community.
Some of the systems throughout Georgia have chosen to supplement the salaries of their Pre-K teachers while they fight the fight at the state level. However, Decatur isn’t one of these. Please consider not only sending letters, making calls, and emailing your state reps, but also board members and administrators right here in Decatur. There are things we can do- it isn’t too late. The current Pre-K salaries scale is still listed as a draft: http://www.csdecatur.net/hr/Pre-K%202012%20Draft%20Salary%20Scales.pdf Please don’t ignore this issues, because it won’t go away- it will only get worse. If we can’t keep teachers in our pre-k system, then we will have too much turnover, the students will suffer, and eventually the program will die.
One of the members of the Parent Advisory board at College Heights informed me that they calculated it would only have cost our system $80,000 to have kept those incredible teachers to stay in the school they love and even found a way to help CSD recover a great deal of these costs. When options were proposed, Dr. Edwards basically disregarded their search for a solution. I know our budget is tight, but certainly among the millions of dollars spent in our schools, a solution could be found for such a priceless program. We have over $864,000 for “educational media” and spend almost $4,500,000 on administration. Plus, there is serious discussion about raising the tax millage. Isn’t there somewhere we can find this money?
Please don’t ignore this issue, because it won’t go away- it will only get worse. If we can’t keep teachers in our pre-k system, our children and the children of our friends and neighbors will suffer, and eventually the program will die. Early intervention has been proven time and time again to save the tax payer’s money, and, even more importantly, it saves a great number of children from being held back by learning difficulties and behavioral issues.
Thanks,
Allison Taylor
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agreed, the program is priceless.
I think, I hope, that one thing many in Decatur can agree upon is how important the Early Childhood Learning Center is. It’s not just that it provides early development and pre-K instruction, because there’s a ton of other private, public or subsidized child care and pre-K around, but it provides high quality teachers who identify children with learning, behavioral, and developmental problems so that interventions can be started in time for a chance of remediation. It’s both an educationally and financially sound approach. The ECLC was an early selling point of the original reconfiguration, one that had little opposition. I hope there’s a way to retain excellent teachers.
Meant to add that maybe the savings of cutting a few buses could go towards the cost of teacher salary supplementation?
I doubt you’ll find anyone who disagrees. Pre-K is a very valuable program with long-term benefits.
Our children didn’t go to College Heights, but we took advantage of a private pre-K that qualified for the state program. We were very pleased with the results and how ready they were for kindergarten.
Teachers have always made way too little for the effort they put into teaching our little ones. If there is a way to supplement their pay, I hope we find it.
The State’s intervention in local education is sick. No wonder our children’s public education is in crisis as our society falls behind the rest of the world.
And the lack of local support. Read what she wrote. This sounds familiar to the discussion of the schedule. “When options were proposed, Dr. Edwards basically disregarded their search for a solution”.
I imagine losing 6 of 9 PreK teachers must be almost like starting over from scratch. What an opportunity lost. It is hard to believe the current budget proposes a 1.25% step increase for all teachers, when those funds or one of the options which were proposed might have saved the PreK program.
We are likely looking at the demise of State Funded PreK in Georgia. Teachers may be close to Saints, but they still need a pay check just as much as the next person. Underfunding PreK will undermine PreK.
Wait just a second! I have a child who will be in Pre-K at College Heights beginning in September. That’s right, I said September, not August like the rest of CSD. Due to the shortened Pre-K year they decided to start the school year in September, but give all of us the option to pay for a month of pre-Pre-K “camp.” The whole rationale (I thought) for this “camp” was to allow the children to start with the rest of the school system and to allow the teachers to get paid for the month that had been reduced by the state. We will be paying in the neighborhood of $800 for the month of August, which I am happy to do. But now I’m wondering what this money is going to be used for if it’s not to pay the teachers for that “extra” month.
FYI – author says the 6 teachers have left for more profitable jobs, but it may be more accurate to say: they will continue to work for CSD at Glennwood for the same salary, but they will have more days on their contracts.
And it might be worth noting that all CSD have not not had a salary step increase in a couple of years.
As one the Pre-k teachers staying at CH this up coming year – thank you for all your support and thank you Allison for such a thoughtful letter! To answer the question of August – your $800 will go to cover the cost of the salaries of the teachers working that month. Not all children will be attending that month therefore not all teachers will be working that month.
It is important to continue to write your state and community representatives. Tell them that you want to have Pre-k back to 180 days. Even if you do not have children that will be attending Pre-k it is important to give all children the access to educations. Remember that the children we are teaching and the community we are building now are the ones that will take care of us in the future!