Overlapping Systems Clash at the Expense of Education

A major takeaway from class was the impact economics has on education and learning systems. I do not consider myself a stranger to the fluctuating nature of education funding, but to see state and federal revenue charted out for higher education and K-12 education was shocking. Economic shifts that I had been passively aware of, like the recession of 2008, took on a whole new meaning. When the recession hit in 2008, I was a freshman in college. The takeaway I had at that time is that gas prices went up and I could barely afford to fill my tank.

We had previously discussed Peter Senge’s talk about systems thinking. In his talk, he discussed the interconnectedness of systems (Senge, 2014). There are so many moving parts when thinking about education and learning systems. There is the economic impact, as seen with the recession of 2008. There are social and political impacts, as presently seen by the Texas legislature, with an undercurrent of economic impacts. Recently, the Texas legislature opened a special session to further discuss the proposed private school vouchers, teacher raises, and other funding concerns. The proposed bill would have set aside $500 million from the general revenue fund to pay for the private school voucher (Lopez, 2023, October). Simultaneously, a proposed bill, made by the same state senator, would have also provided teachers pay bonuses. The disagreement between policymakers over private school vouchers and education funding has led to no vouchers, no educator raises, and no support for public schools against the rising cost of operations (Lopez, 2023, October). This social, political, and economic battle has a ripple effect on educators within the state of Texas. The policymakers cannot agree on funding concerns, they choose to not fund anything, including raising salaries for teachers who are being severely underpaid (Despart et al., 2023). The funding issues mean positions are cut, resources are not funded, necessary building upgrades or maintenance are not completed, and infrastructure upgrades are not prioritized. In Alpine ISD, their unbalanced budget meant relying on their savings accounts, and cutting corners to repair fire alarms (Lopez, 2023, August). Most districts, like Alpine ISD, are facing a shortage of educators, increased operations expenses, and lower student enrollment rates (Lopez, 2023, August). All of this puts school districts in dire financial circumstances. Ultimately, as Lopez (2023, August) points out, due to the disagreement over private school vouchers, legislation that could have helped Texas school districts did not pass before the legislation session ended.

Despart, Z., Svitek, P., Lopez, B. (2023, October 9). Special session on school vouchers begins with Republicans in disarray. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/09/special-session-school-vouchers-dan-patrick-dade-phelan/

Lopez, B. (2023, August 25). How a state effort to fund Texas schools equitably is shortchanging dozens of rural districts. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/08/25/texas-school-districts-funding-property-values/

Lopez, B. (2023, October 9). Texas senate unveils its priority school voucher bill. The Texas Tribune. https://www.texastribune.org/2023/10/09/texas-senate-vouchers-education-savings-accounts/

Senge, P. (2014, December 15). Peter Senge: "Systems thinking for a better world"-Aalto Systems Forum 2014. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QtQqZ6Q5-o