CHAMBERS: Public Schools Need Accountability, Not More Money
In his Delaware Valley Journal article of May 30 titled “The Time to Fix Pennsylvania’s Literacy Crisis is Now,” state Rep. Jason Ortitay attempted to address the literacy problem in Pennsylvania. He is correct in stating the problem, but his solution is more of the same from our elected officials. Spend more money.
It is true that nearly 50 percent of third graders in Pennsylvania can’t read at grade level. That is pitiful. Ortitay boasts that he has worked for five years on legislation that would bring structured literacy to the classrooms by teaching kids how to read using methods that work. Really? He has worked on legislation for five years? That fact, in and of itself, is a very sad commentary on the effectiveness and performance of our legislators.
Then Ortitay states that they are now working on the 2025-2026 state budget, and it is time to spend more money on his proposed legislation. The last thing we need to do is spend more taxpayers’ money when our school property taxes are already ridiculously high. Here in the Great Valley School District, we are currently spending more than $27,000 per student per year on their education. That exceeds the tuition at many colleges. Now, Ortitay says we need to spend more money? Don’t be ridiculous.
The Great Valley School District spends $27,000 per student, yet a large number of students are not scoring at grade level on math and reading standardized tests. The results are terrible, yet the school board raises our taxes every year. The school board refuses to set measurable district academic goals for the superintendent. The superintendent is, therefore, not held accountable for the miserable academic results. This goes on year after year while the board raises our taxes year after year.
The solution is not more money. The solution is to manage our school districts properly and effectively. The school boards need to use basic management tools to hold the superintendent and their staff accountable for student academic results. Great Valley does not do that, and if you look at any other district in Pennsylvania, you will find the same across the entire commonwealth.
There can be no improvement in academic results if we can’t identify what we need to improve and then hold the superintendent and staff accountable for results. Isn’t it ridiculous that school boards don’t do that?
We don’t need to spend more money. We spend too much now and we get little in return. In the private sector, if businesses were run like school districts, they would all go bankrupt.
Public Education in Pennsylvania is a disgrace. Ortitay’s approach is just another reason why. I served on the school board and have followed the district for years. I will continue to advise Great Valley parents to homeschool their children, enroll them in cyber schools, or pay for private schools.
