Underfunding Education Reaches an All-Time High (Or Something)

We've all heard the stories of schools being faced with decisions like which right-brain activity can be cut or which type of pad can the football team afford to go without next season. In my line of work, we get to see even more closely how lack of funding is hurting teachers and students: strict limits on copiers, lack of computer access, no budget for classroom materials, classrooms that are either too hot or too cold. The list goes on and on. Luckily for us, not everyone has to be a big sourpuss to shed some light on the issue. This article from the most recent issue of The Onion, shakes the spear of truth at the ridiculous nature of underfunding in our nation's schools.

Here's a short quote:

"This was by no means an easy decision, but teaching our students how to conjugate verbs in a way that would allow them to describe events that have already occurred is a luxury that we can no longer afford," Phoenix-area high-school principal Sam Pennock said. "With our current budget, the past tense must unfortunately become a thing of the past."