The nation’s lingering economic malaise has led to
reductions in property tax revenues, cuts in state education funding, and
increases in tax certiorari claims. School districts are struggling to maintain
the quality of their academic programs in the face of dwindling resources. State governments have exacerbated this
challenging situation by imposing numerous mandates on school districts without
providing the funding necessary to implement these mandates. Schools have been
forced to cut valuable academic programs to fund mandates that are unnecessary,
inefficient and outdated.
To alleviate the financial burden on our schools and protect
our educational programs, state education departments should
·
Refrain
from imposing new mandates on school districts;
·
Revisit
current mandates – with input from local
superintendents – to determine which ones can be eliminated;
·
Provide
funding for mandates that the state deems essential.
To compete in the increasingly complex global economy, our
children require a superior education. At a time when technological innovation
and higher academic standards require increased investment in instructional
materials, we cannot afford to divert funds to outdated, superfluous and
inefficient mandates.
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