by Ronnie Dauber

Created on: March 26, 2009

State laws should be amended so that municipal governments have more control over Board of Education budgets. It is only right that all schools be treated with fairness in terms of the needs of the students and the teachers. The budget needs to consider the facilities necessary and the abilities of each student in order to provide equal learning opportunities for all of them.

It's good that there is a federal budget that allows a percentage of funding for schools because it supports their respect for education. But it is not practical that schools in general should be put into the same collective category, sharing the same allotted funding.

Our public schools are made up of children, not objects. Each one of these children has specific needs, capabilities and contributing talents that makes them unique. It is not plausible to assume that these people can be congregated into one group of learning. They come from different backgrounds and classes of society, from various cultures and with individual learning abilities and disabilities.

There are two issues to evaluate when determining the differences in budget funding for schools: the physical structure and the academic abilities of the students. There should be a national standard set for school facilities to meet and all schools should be funded in accordance with their ability to meet that standard.

Some of the older schools aren't equipped technically and need to be financially supported to meet the standard of every teaching facility. Other schools need extra funding for transportation costs because of their location, and others need to be rebuilt and made safer for the students. Every school should have efficient sports programs and the proper gyms for the students, but not all do. This needs to be included in the budget.

Schools are made up of children who are different. Some are fast learners, others slow and others handicapped. None of them should suffer because of a stereotype budget that doesn't allow for their differences.

Many children face trials that affect their ability to learn and to communicate with others. It's not typical of any one area or limited to any particular culture. It's the way many of today's families are treating the children and the expectations that society is putting on them. Many children can't cope and need special attention, special training and facilities that can teach them properly without segregating them from other students. No federal office can know these needs at a glance.

That is why there is a municipality and that's why we have local politicians, so that they can see the needs of the people, and this includes the needs of every school in their jurisdiction. They can visit the schools, realize their individual needs and recommend an appropriate budget.

We need to keep our focus on our children and on every child within our community so that each one can have an equal opportunity to learn. There can't be a general budget for the Board of Education. Each school has its individual needs and should be given the funding to meet the national standard set, so that every child can have the same equal opportunity of a positive future.

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