Are We Adequately Funding Our Schools?

One of the most frequently asked questions is whether we are adequately funding our public schools.

At the risk of sounding like I'm I'm "waffling" on the issue, the answer is that it depends on how you look at the issue.

I devoted my April 22, 2011 "Mendon Musings" column in the Upton-Mendon Town Crier, to this very subject.  Here is that column (copyright 2011 by Town Crier Publications, Inc.):

As we get closer to facing a Proposition 2 ½ override vote in Mendon, it’s time to take a closer look at school spending.  Is it really Mendon’s budget buster?

The answer may surprise a lot of people.  It’s “no,” borne out by almost three full decades of spending trends.

Because it certifies each town’s tax rate, the state Department of Revenue keeps tabs on how towns spend their money, including what percentage is spent on schools. The DOR, therefore, can be considered both an accurate and a fair source of information.  So, if you don’t mind spending a few hours digging, here’s what data the DOR’s website provides.

For 22 consecutive fiscal years (July 1, 1985-June 30, 1986 through July 1, 2006-June 30, 2007), Mendon spent more than 50 percent of its annual operating budget on schools. Over those 22 fiscal years, the percentage was as high as 60.3 percent and as low as 51.8 percent.  (Note: “schools” means all school spending, including the Mendon-Upton Regional School District and the Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School.)

The 22-year average for Mendon comes to 55.6 percent. Upton’s 20 year average (the DOR has no school spending data listed for Upton in fiscal years 2002 and 2005) comes to 48.2 percent. The statewide average during that overall 22-year time period was 45.4 percent.

Mendon’s percentage of school spending was higher than Upton’s in each of the 20 years that can be compared. (Yes, I know, school population percentage splits between the two towns could be the reason why one town contributed a higher percentage than the other in any given year.)

Now we come to fiscal years 2008 and 2009. Mendon’s school expenditures in those years were 49.6 and 49.1 percent, respectively.  Upton’s were 49.5 and 51.0 percent, respectively, for those same two years. The statewide average for the same time was 48.6 percent. For fiscal year 2010, which ended last June 30, Mendon spent 47.0 percent of all its revenues on schools; Upton’s same number is 45.7 percent.

These numbers mean Mendon’s average school spending over the past three fiscal years is 48.6 percent and Upton’s is 48.7 percent.  Pretty close ratio, huh?

So, if Mendon’s spending on education has dropped to below 50 percent of the budget over the past few years, you could make a reasonable assumption that school spending is not the cause of Mendon’s budget woes.

So, now that we can put an end to the outright lie that excessive school spending is causing Mendon’s budget woes – not to mention the lie that, when compared to Upton, Mendon isn’t spending its fair share on education – I’m left with one giant question.

When you take away school spending as the convenient scapegoat, what exactly is causing Mendon’s budget woes?

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Clearly, the level of spending on schools has dropped during the "great recession."  As the economy improves, and state and federal assistance to schools returns to previous levels -- and as town budgets can afford it -- we need to look at bringing support for education back to previous historic levels.

I Am NOT Anti-Education

Just because I've criticized the School Committee for coming back for more over-rides after Mendon has already said "no" does not mean I am anti-education.

I've been involved in Mendon's town government for 28 years, and the very first committee I served on was the Superintendent's (Dr. Crisafulli) Computer Task Force. Back then, we were looking at how to bring and use those "new things" known as personal computers into the school system.

In today's global economy, a quality education is essential for our community's children to achieve the careers that will be thriving during the next decades. Quite frankly, the jobs of yesterday and today may not be there and we need to prepare our children for that.  Think of how much has changed in the world of computers since 1984!

But, I believe strongly that a public school education means one that is funded as the public (that's us) decides it should be. There are options available for folks who want -- and can pay for -- more.

And, as part of government, the School Committee should not try to force a town to decide between its municipal services or giving more money to education when funds are limited.

I've had strong relationships with teachers during my own years in elementary school, high school and college -- people who have had a profound impact on my life and my career. I originally planned to become a teacher, but the job market didn't support that goal when I graduated from college.

I have a nephew and a niece who are teachers. Another nephew's fiance is a teacher. One of my sisters has served as a trustee at several colleges and just stepped down from the position of Chief of College and Career Preparation for the Chicago public school system. We have frequent, lively family discussions about what is right and what is wrong with education in America!

One of the things that came out of one of those discussions (Easter dinner of 2011) is that -- while throwing rocks may make people feel good -- it accomplishes nothing besides giving you a sore arm.  Why not use the rocks to build something of value?

In other words, why not use your energy to accomplish something positive?

After all, I've spent the past 14 years helping to teach Scouts -- our community's young men -- how to be leaders. Now, I'd like to help the rest of our children -- as the Boy Scouts say -- be "Prepared.For Life."

I Will Represent ALL Mendon Voters

A school committee member is elected by all voters in town – whether you have children in the school system, never had any, or they long ago graduated – and whether you are rent or own a home.

For too long, we haven't had someone from Mendon on the School Committee who represents all of us. I'm not an "educrat" (a politician who tell teachers how to teach) or someone who believes that more money every year means a better education.

What I am is an average guy who will work hard to ensure that the children of Mendon get the best public school education possible for the dollars that we have available to spend.

When federal and state dollars dry up, we can't shift all that burden to the average taxpayers. We may have to do more with less.  We definitely have to look at doing things differently.

Mendon has a strong history of supporting public education.  We can maintain this commitment going forward -- we just have to do it differently!

Kevin Rudden Running for Mendon-Upton School Committee

March 26, 2012 – Kevin Rudden of 9A George Street, Mendon, today announced that he is a candidate for the Mendon-Upton Regional School District Committee.

Rudden, 58, has served the Town of Mendon in numerous elected and appointed positions during the past 28 years, and currently serves on the Mendon Council on Aging’s Transportation Advisory Committee and as the town’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Coordinator.  In addition, he is Finance Committee Chairman for Community Partners for Health, the state Department of Public Health’s designated Community Health Network Area (CHNA) for the13 communities primarily served by the Milford Regional Medical Center.

“I’m running because I am a strong supporter of education as well as a fiscal conservative, and – as a disabled person living on a fixed income – I understand that we need to balance every parent’s desire to give their children the best education possible with the financial realities of our local, state and federal government funding possibilities,” Rudden said.

“Over the years, I’ve been a vocal critic of previous school administration’s financial policies, and I’ve realized that criticism isn’t enough to change things.  If you don’t step forward and become part of ‘the solution,’ then you are really just part of ‘the problem,’” the candidate said.

“I’m also approaching our local education from a different perspective than someone with children in the Mendon-Upton School system.  I have two sons who went through the system from kindergarten through high school and are now in college.  This gives me a perspective on how well the local school system prepared them for college and for their careers afterward.  My third son attended the Mendon-Upton system from kindergarten through eighth grade, and is now a junior at Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School. This gives me a perspective on how our Mendon-Upton system compares to another local school system,” the candidate added.

“Finally, am running because I appreciate the impact that certain individual teachers have had on my children’s lives, and I want to make sure that these types of positive relationships continue.  In particular, former teachers Amy Hughes and Henry Morel had deep and lasting impacts, respectively, on my son, Michael, and my son, Timothy,” Rudden said. “I’d like to help to continue to foster an atmosphere in which middle and high school students, in particular, are positively mentored.”

The candidate recently helped Superintendent Joseph Marusczak apply for one grant (albeit unsuccessfully) for a “best practices” study of the Mendon-Upton system and also helped him explore the possibility of applying for another in the area of substance abuse and bullying prevention. “I look forward to helping the superintendent apply for as many grants as possible, whether or not I am elected,” Rudden said.