Put $$ back in education

I'm not a huge fan of daytime talk shows, but I do enjoy watching "Ellen." The atmosphere is bright and cheery, and much of the focus is on laughter, games and, of course, dancing. There are no paternity tests, hair-pulling fights or other stupid drama that sucks double digits from our collective IQ.

In fact, the only time tears fall is when Ellen donates to someone in need.

This week, she followed up with the students and faculty at Whitney Elementary in Las Vegas. According to Principal Sherrie Gahn, 85 percent of students qualify for reduced-price lunches and many are homeless. It's part of Clark County Public School District, the fifth largest district in the country, according to scholastic.com.

In 2008, the school educated 4,700 homeless students, a number that jumped more than 1,000 by the end of the next year.

Gahn was shocked to see students taking ketchup packets from the cafeteria, and was spurred into action when a teacher told her the packets provided the students' supper - ketchup soup.

Today, the school provides clothes, food, coats, haircuts, vaccinations, dental and vision care and other necessities to the students through donations.

Inspired by Gahn's dedication, Ellen arranged for $100,000 in gift cards for Target to be given to the school and helped upgrade the library and computer lab. Justin Bieber, who was a guest on the show the same day, promised to match that amount and perform an acoustic concert at the school; it was aired on "Ellen" earlier this week. He also donated $100,000 in toys so each child could have a fun Christmas.

While the school received a wonderful gift from Bieber and Ellen, the money will eventually run out, and the staff will be back to square one helping these students who have nothing to go home to.

So where in sam hill is the state?

Public schools are funded by the state, and education - as well as police forces, fire companies, roads, bridges and infrastructure - should be the No. 1 priority of a state budget. That's what our tax money is for, isn't it?

It's part of each state's constitution, a fact brought home by lawsuits filed by school districts against 45 states that have cut funding, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Nevada is not one of them, yet. According to an article written by LVRJ writer Carri Geer Thevenot in April, Nevada has one of the lowest K-12 spending per student in the nation, and Gov. Brian Sandoval had planned to cut education funding by another 9 percent.

The state Supreme Court intervened in May, when the court ruled as unconstitutional a decades-old practice of taking money from municipalities and school districts to balance Nevada's budget. Thank goodness. The idea of state lawmakers taking money from schools conjures images of Stranger Danger stealing candy from babies. Not that babies should eat candy, but you get my point.

Cuts in education funding have also been a hot issue in Pennsylvania. Gov. Tom Corbett ended an eight-year streak when he signed the budget before deadline June 30; unfortunately, that budget also cut $900 million, more than 10 percent, in funding for special education, teacher training, student tutoring aid and other programs at public schools. Those cuts hit home when Mount Carmel Area and Shamokin Area eliminated Pre-K programs and field trips and either furloughed teachers or agreed not to hire replacements for retiring staff (although Shamokin Area later revived its Pre-K). Line Mountain and Southern Columbia Area raised taxes. Sadly, these are not the only belt-tightening tactics taken by our local schools.

It doesn't get any better for college students, either. Our state budget cuts approximately $220 million, almost 20 percent, in funding for 14 state-owned universities and drops aid to community colleges by 10 percent.

We recently reported the Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area received a $1.5 million state grant from Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, a portion of $31.5 million allocated for 218 projects. That's a drop in the bucket compared to what was cut, but $31.5 million could buy a lot of textbooks or send a few more kids to college.

I'm all for keeping Pennsylvania beautiful, but when did that become more important than keeping our kids educated? It's one thing for lawmakers to claim to fight for the working folks, but it's another thing to prove it. Invest in education, and instead of funding corrupt welfare programs, make sure every school has a proper library and up-to-date textbooks, safe buildings, nutritious breakfasts and lunches and productive after-school programs. When we invest tax money into educating children, we invest in their lives and the future of our state. Why is that so difficult to comprehend?

If lawmakers must cut, they should cut from the top: Pensions, salaries and benefits of lawmakers, to start. Give our kids a chance to make something of themselves.

I'm glad Ellen and Bieber have donated to Whitney Elementary, but lawmakers in Nevada should be ashamed of themselves for creating a situation where a public school must rely on donations to keep going. Lawmakers from every other state in the nation should take note and avoid the same pitfalls.

(Nicolov is an assistant editor at The News-Item and writes "Don't Get Me Started" for each Friday edition. Contact her at julie_n@newsitem.com)

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