Education initiative in November polls

Proponent of a legislative initiative that seeks to increase by 10 percent the Public School System’s annual funding share is upbeat on persuading local leaders to approve the education proposal’s inclusion in the upcoming November elections.

Rep. Thomas B. Pangelinan, author of House Legislative Initiative 12-001, is proposing that a constitutional amendment to increase the annual PSS budget from the current 15 percent to 25 percent from the Commonwealth’s total revenues be put to vote.

The former Board of Education official is intent in convincing local officials to support the measure which he believes is the solution to the public education sector’s string of problems.

According to Mr. Pangelinan, the number of students enrolled in public schools has more than tripled in the last 25 years, yet the amount of funds devoted for public education has remained at the 15 percent level since 1976.

“As a lifetime educator who has spent 30 years as a classroom teacher, vice principal, principal, and Board of Education member, I know all too well just how difficult it can be when teachers don’t have the textbooks, the materials their students need and when classes are overloaded with 30 or more students per teacher,” he said in a letter addressed to Senate President Paul A. Manglona.

He reiterated that the solution now rests on the Commonwealth’s increased investment on education which will be useful in the anticipated opening of new public schools, as well as the maintenance and operations of existing campuses.

Another reason to amend the constitution to accommodate the 25 percent increase is that local leaders are often caught in the never-ending debates over the approval of annual budgets, Mr. Pangelinan pointed out.

“When this happens, the public schools are supposed to get the same amount of funds as the previous year under what is called a continuing resolution. That means that each school must spend less per student because of rising student enrollment,” he added.

The resolution, the legislator suggested, is to raise the annual guaranteed amount of funding and provide a lump sum budget for public schools, allocated with an equal amount per student.

Mr. Pangelinan is convinced that the initiative’s inclusion in the elections will provide every registered voter a unique opportunity to express their true sentiments about the education of their children.

“A child miseducated is a child lost,” Mr. Pangelinan quoted former US President John F. Kennedy.

The proposed 10 percent increase in the Public School System’s yearly budget appropriation could mean an extra $20 million for public education.