Strain the Brain, Not the Budget

Since the early 1960s there has not only been the increasing federal assault against  Christianity in the public schools, but the increased educational expenditures are also creating a problem, in particular for this article, in the building new schools—often by astronomical debt to be paid by the general public.  It could be said that the educational focus has shifted from straining the brain to constantly increasing the budgets. Have we been building a secular tower with the religion of the bricks of secular humanism in American education?

Genesis 11:1-9 is about the Tower of Babel, as it says they said, “…let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven;”  Pretty high aspirations, “…and let us make us a name…”  But notice it was concerned with seeking to find God and his truths by a building program, which ended in chaos.  Our tower of Babel, Public Education seems to be shaking!

The Supreme Court ordered that all religious activities be removed from the public schools (Engel v. Vatale, 1962) and in subsequent years strengthened its decision through further restrictions (Abington v. Schempp, 1963; Stone v. Gramm, 1980; Graham v. Central, 1985; Jager v. Douglas, 1989). Who can argue against neutrality? We who have a fundamental belief in God can point to the increased budgets, and at the same time the significant decline in standardized test scores, increase in student pregnancy, drug abuse and violence in our schools since the Court’s 1962 decision.

Public education is continually calling for more and more money, while the achievement rate of the American students has gone down continually in comparison with other industrialized countries, since the time Bible reading and prayer were removed from the public schools. The U.S. was a global leader in education until it started slipping in the mid sixties.  The building of new schools, school consolidation, and capital expenditures at the same time have exploded in growth at the expense of the public taxpayers.

One of the great grievances that many of us feel as we travel about our land is to see the countless textile mills that once thrived with business, but now are but tombstones to the past, and the question comes, “In our new age of the information revolution and the Internet, will not our beautiful new schools end up the same?”  Recall the Lord Jesus’ response to the magnificent Temple, “There shall not be one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Children deserve to learn in comfortable settings, although, so far as I know, there is no research that shows kids will learn more in so-called “state-of-the art” classrooms.  Just because a school looks impressive on the outside does not mean it really produces a strong education for the students. With the recession, the current and imminent budget cuts, and depleted funds, why do we have the continual issue of construction bonds by municipalities, and countless supposed sure cure educational programs? Why are the budgets ever increasing, while the achievement is slipping?

For the government to continue to borrowing on the future generations to build new schools poses many questions.  Build what you can afford!  To educate should be to strain to brain, not budget.  In Matthew 17:1-5 there is the recount of the transfiguration, and we can recall Peter’s building plan that he wanted to construct three tabernacles—one for Moses, one for Elias, and one for the Lord Jesus.  But the Lord told them all not to tell anyone about it.  He squelched the building program in the bud, for the message was much greater!  The school is not the building, but the message or education taught.

Can we in America continue to follow the philosophy that “Bigger is Better”?  Increasing the budgets and building more and more state of the art schools is not doing the job. Rhode Island, for example has one of the highest per-student expenditures in the country, but with lackluster results to show for this investment. Nationally, it ranks fifth highest in per-pupil costs, spending $13,453 per student in 2006-2007, significantly above the national average of $9,703.  But test scores such as the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the SAT show Rhode Island stuck in the middle of the pack, and lagging behind its higher-achieving neighboring states in New England. (RIPEC cites high cost of schools, lagging results–11:04 a.m. EDT on Monday, April 19, 2010 – by Jennifer D. Jordan–Journal Staff Writer, ripec.com)

It has been observed: “Polling data show that many people believe that government allocates insufficient resources to schools. A poll conducted annually from 2004 through 2007 found that American adults list insufficient funding and resources as a top problem facing public schools in their communities.”  (The Heritage Foundation—“Does Spending More on Education Improve Academic Achievement?” September 8, 2008 by Dan Lips, Shanea Watkins, Ph.D.)

To date, forty-four states and the District of Columbia are projecting budget shortfalls for fiscal year 2012, which begins July 1, 2011 in most states. These come on top of the large shortfalls that states closed in fiscal years 2009 through 2011.  The educational budgets in most all states look very much strained for the future!

Yes, We need good facilities if economically possible, but are there other ways to address the problem of crowing in the public schools.  Aside from building, overcrowding can be addressed by better use of what already exists. Schools could be occupied 12 months a year. Another way is that students could be divided into four groups with each attending schools for 45 days and then having 15 days off. In this way a building built for 750 students to serve 1,000, and it could produce educational benefits since students would not forget as much over several shorter vacations as they now do over the long summer break.

Also think of all the churches that states could rent that are not being used during the weekdays, and how these could be used educationally, as they once the basic classrooms in the early days of our nation.  Using facilities is not to teach religion!  We need to focus on “Straining the Brain, Not the Budget”.

by Joe Renfro, Ed.D., Radio Evangelist, Retired Teacher and Pastor, Box 751, Lavonia, Georgia 30553, 706-356-4173, joerenfro@windstream.net