High School Education: Build on the Basics While Redesigning for the Future
Our schools, especially our high schools, need more resources to teach our children what they need to know to compete and succeed in the 21st century. Part of this failure, though certainly not all, is linked to underfunding; Virginia ranks 9th in personal income but is 37th among states in per pupil spending and 30th among states in average teacher salary. While the state is currently fully funding the “Standards of Quality,” these guidelines set a lower standard than is necessary to provide a superior educational experience for students. While localities such as Albemarle and Charlottesville expend considerable tax dollars to supplement state funding, other areas of the Commonwealth are not able to assist in the manner and thus have considerably weaker school systems. The extra tax dollars that wealthier localities provide also put considerable strain on the real estate property tax rate and limit local governments’ ability to lower it, even in the face of rising assessments.
Beyond the funding problem, however, we need to look at education in fundamentally different ways. Our high schools were designed to meet the needs of another age, when a high school diploma was often the end of formal education. In an increasingly complex society, our children’s success often rests on their ability to obtain more specialized and technical training, either in high school, at a trade school, at a community college or at a university. We need to do a better job of incorporating high school into a system of education that includes different options.
Today, only one-third of our students graduate from high school ready for college or a career job. Almost 18% of Virginia’s High School freshmen will not graduate. Youngsters who grow up in economically disadvantaged households or have limited English proficiency have an even lower chance of finishing high school. These numbers are unacceptable and threaten to confine many to lives of severe economic challenge. If the trend continues, it will greatly diminish this nation’s economic wealth and power.
A strong background in math, science, and technology is essential to youngsters graduating from high school who seek to enter the workforce or continue into higher education. During my time in the General Assembly, I have served on a subcommittee tasked with studying this area in the Commonwealth and I will continue to advocate for the study recommendations, including implementing programs to train teachers in these fields and providing intensive high school programs in these areas.
We need to ensure that our technical education efforts are adequately funded and are designed to train our youngsters for jobs in the knowledge-based economy that can pay a decent wage. We also need to provide resources to our community colleges so that citizens who seek new opportunities can have a place to train for them. We have a good model in this area, where PVCC has worked with local governments and the University of Virginia to train individuals for specifically targeted jobs being created in the private sector. This is an arrangement where everyone wins; citizens find good jobs in the private sector while local businesses expand and pay taxes.
