Editor's note: All opinions, columns and letters reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of the IDS or its staffers.
When I stepped onto campus for my first year of school, I was sure of exactly one thing: that I was going to be a teacher. Studying education was my calling, the way I could do the most good in the world. I’m still sure of it now, beginning my second year, even when the news in education has been less than uplifting.
Earlier this year, the Monroe County Community School Corporation terminated 61 custodial staff, health aide assistants and lunchroom cooks or supervisors to cut costs. The school corporation is facing a $17 million reduction in state funding over the next three years after Senate Enrolled Act 1, tax relief legislation, was passed. The district also decided not to replace many retired or resigned employees.
It is an unfortunate truth that schools perform better when they have more money to spend. Better materials and facilities, as well as the ability to pay staff who are skilled at their jobs, are just a few things that can improve the school experience for students. The fact that the state is willing to risk that, and that the MCCSC is already making difficult decisions about where to save money, means that public schools will continue to be in danger.
This is not the only area in which schools are struggling right now. The recent crackdown on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, or DEI, programs has affected K-12 education.
In Indiana, Gov. Mike Braun promoted a directive to eliminate programs and language he calls “divisive” and “politically charged.” An executive order has already required K-12 schools to remove references to equity and inclusion from instructional materials, websites and educational standards, as well as phrases about offering support to diverse learners. Programs like Padres Estrellas, which was designed to help Latino families enroll in college scholarship programs for low-income students, have also come under fire. In fact, when I attempted to visit Indiana government website pages that referenced Padres Estrellas, I found that they had been taken down.
The only thing this is doing is hurting people who already face barriers in the educational system. DEI is not designed to give unfair advantage to anyone. It is designed to help the people who are hurt by the system. Acknowledging that the system often disadvantages people who belong to minority groups is not a bad thing; it is an acknowledgement of the truth. We should be broadening access to public education, not limiting it, as this has done. Every child deserves to have the same opportunities to learn.
At the national level, schools are also facing money trouble.
In July, the United States Department of Education withheld nearly $7 billion from K-12 schools to conduct a review of funded programs and ensure they aligned with the White House’s message. The money was allotted for afterschool and summer programs, English language learning and migrant education programs, and educator training. The Department of Education later released the funds to school districts, 25 days after they were expected.
The delay left schools scrambling. Summer vacation is a time when money is needed to maintain programs, hire new staff and budget and plan effectively for the upcoming school year. This year, school districts were left with little time to prepare. Instead, they rushed to decide which programs they could afford to cut. They tried to figure out how they would support English language learners if the money didn’t come.
This sets a precedent. It sends a clear message that programs we have long had in place, that people rely on for their children, will continue to face this kind of danger. I also don’t think it’s any coincidence that the withheld funds were largely meant to go to English language learner programs.
By now, I’ve listed several reasons why I should run for the hills. That is exactly why I’m here.
Now more than ever, we need teachers. Teachers who, despite everything, show up every day and do their best for their classrooms.
I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I understood that, in the eyes of a student, we can have a major impact. In my senior year of high school, I worked with first graders every other day for an hour. I saw the way that, every time I showed up, kids rushed to tell me about their weekends, wanted to sit near me, wanted to ask me for help. I thought, if I can be that much of a positive influence in such short a time, then what can I do if I’m there all day, every day?
It is the teachers who decide how they want to teach and how they treat their students. They have the most significant influence day-to-day. Students may not be aware that their school is facing budget cuts. However, they know that their teacher cares about keeping them safe and making sure they learn.
If all the passionate people, who really want to make a difference in children's lives, abandon the profession, who is left? Who will be there to make sure that every kid is getting what they deserve, at least at the classroom level? There is something teachers can do, however small, to make a difference in a child’s life, if we are willing to face this uncertainty that is sure to follow us.
We will always need teachers. If I don’t do it, who will?
Sasha Burton (she/her) is a sophomore studying Elementary Education with minors in English and Spanish.
