Dismantling, reducing staffing, and cutting funding for public education typically harms the system rather than helps it. Here’s why:
1. Reduced resources: Cutting funding leads to fewer educational materials, outdated technology and less support for students, making it harder for teachers to provide quality instruction.
2. Larger class sizes: Fewer staff means larger classes, reducing the time teachers can spend on each student and negatively affecting personalized support.
3. Teacher burnout: With fewer staff, teachers take on more responsibilities, leading to burnout and lower morale, which increases teacher turnover and worsens staffing shortages.
4. Worsened educational outcomes: Reduced funding and staffing lead to poorer student achievement, as students receive less support and fewer resources.
5. Inequity: Cutting funding impacts lower-income schools more, increasing educational inequality and limiting opportunities for disadvantaged students.
While resource allocation is debated, reducing public education funding and staffing usually harms the system and its students rather than improving it.
— Lance Smith, Anchorage
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