The 2010-2011 public school year winds down as students, parents, and school boards spend the final weeks rounding up support to keep programs going in the fall.

parents and their children at a Colorado school

The small parochial school Ventana in Los Altos, California, has made the local news and spends time soothing neighbors about the expansion of student enrollees. Sounds like a good thing, but it means more cars roaming the streets on the way to drop students off and louder play yard noise. A neighborhood meeting at Christ Episcopal Church on May 23, 2011, hoped to overcome the not-in-my-backyard concerns.

Let’s look at the curriculum that makes school a lively place-libraries, art, music, theater, sports. Did you read about high school students busking in subway stations to garner cash for the music program at the high school? Did you see the photo of kindergartners loping around the racetrack in the fundraiser for the library at a school in San Rafael? Cupertino schools are in their second cycle of high-hopes fund raising with the help of community businesses who pass on a small percent of total sales for a day to the Education Fund. See “Parents, faculty, students go all out” by Jill Tucker, San Francisco Chronicle, May 23, 2011, for more summer plans. Are you reminded of the tune “Money Makes the World Go Round?”

In the meantime, special education support for every single student hits an obstacle course when public schools must provide funding that is not available for the expensive education needs of severely handicapped students–physically disabled, autistic, behavior disability due to drug toxicity. While the policies to serve these students are laudable, school districts look at the cost, and no matter the legal outcome, no one wins. See “Parents Battle School Districts for Special Support” by Trey Bundy, The Bay Citizen, May 22, 2011. A cake walk at the school carnival is not going to do the trick.

Across the country in Levittown, Pennsylvania, the school board can only express dismay when the state funds and federal stimulus funds dry up–on which the Bristol Township School District relied. What a way to close around your schools at the end of a successful year. A district that had followed No Child Left Behind requirements and finally had pulled up the student achievement levels in its failing schools, finds itself with a $10 million shortfall for next year. The loss of funds means cutting programs, teachers, tutors-all that helped students improve.  Dog shows, bake sales, walk-a-thons won’t provide $10 million. Not even a gift from the Bill Gates Foundation would keep the schools going over time. It’s the economy, everyone. The entire sad tale is found in The New York Times, May 22, 2011, “The Math of Heartbreak” by Michael Sokolove.

Finally in The Atlantic, June 2011, you can read Joel Klein’s “Scenes from the Class Struggle.” His job as New York City Superintendent of Schools has wound down via resignation, but his opinions are flying high. He begins with statistics from national and state test scores which are not good. He moves on to describe the divisions in our society because of economic policies favoring the wealthy and turning away from the underclass. Politics in Congress, state legislatures, and unions are blameworthy.

The section describing the rationale to attract new, well-educated, conscientious teachers was most interesting and plausible. He suggests realigning the salary scales to front-load compensation for new teachers, encouraging them to continue. Eliminate automatic step increases as employees stay in the system. Provide opportunities for bonuses when taking on any of the necessary additional activities in a public school. For example, attending student study teams or leading data analysis study or agreeing to be designated teacher when the principal is away. In addition, negotiate decent pensions, but no longer so great that teachers hang on just to claim the benefits with no system in place to show accountability for student success.

Of course, Klein was speaking of the over-all national problems circling around school reform no matter how big or small the district. School boards will nod their combined heads in agreement; then turn to huddle about scraping up $5 to $10 million before September 2011.