Back to School Conversations

There are only a few days left of the month of August 2022 as I take on the "back to school" topic. For all I know, there are students and teachers in a classroom right at this moment as I'm typing this article. I pray they are safe and well. They don't have time to write this article, but I do - and as a retired teacher I feel it is my duty to "talk" about the subjects concerning public school, the business and politics of the institution, and some "controversies" that still exist and will probably always exist as long as there are people who believe in the continuum of Public Education.

Let me begin by stating that the arguments about whether Public or Private schools are better for a student's education are not a left wing or right wing thing. Trying to pin that choice into one side is as futile and wasteful as trying to come up with an absolute truth to the abortion debate. While politicians may find that amusing to thwart attention from the more important issues like Finances, Employee Resources, and Safety, I don't think anyone who considers themselves experienced and/or educated, should waste one minute pondering or preaching on those silly debates. Public or Private education is Education, and both have a purpose and provide parents, teachers, and students with a choice.

Moving on, I want to state what I see as the important "controversies" in the conversation of Public School education for 2022. Had you asked me twenty years ago, I would have still replied that the constitutional right to "Freedom of Speech" and "Freedom of Religion" was a lingering problem in Public Education. However, today in 2022, I have focused my attention on different areas. Today I am more like Ross Perot, business minded and focused on numbers, budgets, and commonwealth. I can not forget what Dr. Joan Kaywell from U.S.F. told me quite sharply as I acquired my own higher education: In the "Business" of Education, we must keep in mind the "Business" necessities.

Currently, we see that Biden and Trump are still duking it out for the next Presidency. They are both trying to come up with a persuasive argument to win the maximum votes. Biden is offering help in the form of student loan forgiveness and Trump continues to talk about jobs and companies. They are both focusing on important subjects, but neither is persuading me at this time and it all has to do with my passionate belief in the "Business of Education".

Let me get very personal now. I owe (and my low credit score reflects this) about $65000 for a student loan that I took at the turn of the century. Upon my first college graduation, I owed about $35000 for a Stafford Loan (a federally backed loan) and had all intentions of paying it back as an employed full-time teacher serving the public schools. Life didn't go according to my plan. As I was juggling the hardships of my personal life and trying to survive, the years went on and I only made a few payments on that loan. I was lucky for the options of putting my repayments off and even luckier when Mohela bought the debt which made my lateness less destructive to my overall credit score. However, since the debt has been sitting and waiting for repayment since 2001, the original debt of $35000 accrued interest up to the current amount of $65000 in 2022. I am retired now, on Social Security disability, and do not have a teacher's salary to repay that loan. I requested that a doctor sign a forgiveness form for me about 8 years ago, but the doctor said that my "disability" was not of the sort that was "permanent" or could stop me from becoming a teacher. I was very disappointed, but that doctor was correct. My mental illness disability does NOT stop me from teaching, however my life has proven over and over again that the best I can do for longevity is serve as a Substitute teacher, and they do not earn enough to pay back that kind of student loan.

Now Biden is offering about $10k in forgiveness. For me, that doesn't help much. Even if I jump on that train and get my debt down to $55k, it will reach $65k again in less than a decade and all that will do is hurt the taxpayers who did not create this debt. It's my debt. I don't want to burden the taxpayers with my debt. I was grateful for the opportunity to obtain a college education, and I don't want to say thank you by giving them another "bill". That won't help me or them.

I get by on my Social Security check most of the time. It's not much, but I'm not the only one who has had to learn to make a little monthly check work. As long as I have family and friends who help during a crisis or tragedy, I get by. However, regarding my debts and credit score, it is not their responsibility to fix that. Every month I try to come up with some way to lessen the debt and raise the score. Sometimes I come up with something that works and sometimes I make a mess. Yet the whole time, I am reminded of "the business of Education".

I was one of the very few back in college to say that Public School teachers did not need to make more than $40k per year. Back in 2001, $40k per year was more money than I could imagine earning in a year and while many called me stupid, I had good reasons for presenting that case. Twenty years have passed. Inflation has occurred and we all know it. I looked at the public schools website yesterday and do you know what it costs to provide your child/student with a hot lunch every day? If you want one child to eat a hot lunch Monday - Friday, it costs $15 per week or $60 per month. That's just for one hot lunch at the cafeteria. No extra snacks or drinks. Inflation has occurred and I am old enough to recognize this fact. When I was in high school in 1988, my hot school lunch only cost 75 cents. Free lunch was provided then (and still now) to those considered in the "poverty" category. I was the daughter of a middle class family. My family was supposed to pay $15 per month to make sure that I ate a hot lunch every school day. You don't want to know how often this middle class student went without lunch and begged my friends for 75 cents. Today, my parents would need to give $60 for the same lunch every day. Inflation has occurred. From 1988 to 2022, the difference is $45. I do this basic math to make it a simple formula for those people who understand me when I say "the business of education". If the inflation has increased in 25 years at a rate of 3x, then what does that say about Teacher's salaries or the cost of having a child or a family that attends Public School?

Just want to give you the "facts" about the "business of education" and I hope that helps you see the bigger picture and the true controversies regarding Public School and Private School. I don't need student loan forgiveness. For me, I need a way to earn some extra money to supplement my Social Security and bring my debts down and raise my credit score. Could I do that with a teaching job? Maybe. Is there really a teacher shortage or is that just hype? It doesn't matter to me because I don't want to teach at a Public School or a Private School, and I know exactly why any teachers are on strike. It's not because of their salaries, although some may say something about it. It's a safety issue.