How many times have we heard someone use those words to argue against adequately funding education?

This doesn’t happen just in Cecil County or only in Maryland. This rant gets repeated across the country and online ad nauseum as if repetition and volume makes it true.

But who said public education in Cecil County was broken? Has someone showed data that points to glaring failures of the system?

Nope.

In fact, the data shows that education in Cecil County is clearly working.

During these last 5 years of nearly flat spending on education in Cecil County, Cecil County Public Schools managed to increase graduation rates while also reducing dropout rates. Did this happen by chance? No. This happened because CCPS developed metrics for measuring student success and processes for assisting students who need more support. In fact, the county developed a system of using academic profiles to identify students at risk that has been so successful that the model has been shared with other districts in the state.

Now, despite what you may have heard about the huge numbers of administrators at CCPS headquarters on Booth Street, these systems were implemented at a time when the system was forced to cut non-instructional positions due to inadequate funding. For the sake of the students, CCPS had little choice but to buckle down and do the work which they did and continue to do.

So, is throwing money at education going to fix the problem? That depends on how you define the problem.

If you define the problem as one of a system that has used its resources in the most efficient manner possible but is stretched too thin, yes, increased funding will fix the problem.

If you define the problem as a system whosefacilities are in dire need of replacement or repair, yes, increased funding will fix the problem.

Cecil County–it’s time for you to adequately and consistently fund public education in order to fix the problems you’ve caused in our schools.

The Cecil County Council will vote on the budget for FY 2016 on June 2. Please email them today to tell them that you support education funding. Not sure what to say? Here’s a letter to copy and send.

Copy and paste these email addresses:  [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Sources:

Maryland Report Card-Cecil County