EDUCATIONALLY SPEAKING -- Gay Geiser-Sandoval

What effects will recent events have on education? I studied about the

domino effect in college and keep wondering when the dominoes will come

crashing down on our schoolchildren. The most recent nationwide election

now seems light years away. That was the election in which every

politician was going to make his focus education. Each candidate had a

potential fix, including increased spending.

Now, more dollars are being siphoned off every second. Before Sept.

11, the state government was already facing multiple problems with a

slowing economy, causing a decrease in tax revenues, coupled with

skyrocketing energy costs. Most educational funds come from the state,

especially those that were allocated in the last few years to pay for

more textbooks, school library books, special education, preschool

programs and after-school programs.

Districts can fund each student’s basic education in one of two ways.

They can use the money from the property taxes collected in the district

to fund educational expenses or give the state that money and receive a

state-mandated dollar amount per child. This year, our district is using

basic aid, or the property tax amount. However, if housing prices drop,

or property taxes aren’t paid, that could change rapidly. Also, the state

might legislate a diversion of property taxes to pay for energy costs,

which would affect the educational dollars available to the district.

Grant money, which is usually allocated only for a year or two, could dry

up completely. That could mean less money for those most in need of the

educational dollar. Education is often a child’s only ticket out of

poverty.

The federal educational tax dollar is in even more of a calamitous

position after the events of Sept. 11. Now, federal money is being poured

into military actions, security measures, intelligence operations and

airline bailouts. As the domino effect is felt by more American

businesses, tax revenue will lessen. That means dollars for federal

educational programs already in place will be cut.

Will federal dollars still be available to fund class-size reduction?

If they aren’t, will elementary classes soon balloon to 30 at all grade

levels? Will federal dollars that were promised to help those kids with

low test scores catch up to their fellow students ever make it to the

schoolhouse steps? Will the lack of those dollars prove disastrous to

those kids and our economy for the next 40 years when they don’t have the

necessary skills to get a good job and support their families?

An important lesson is about to be learned by our students. How much

will the cry for security measures to institute Operation Infinite

Justice cause infinite injustice to our constitutional guarantees and

form of government? In a time when teachers are asked to instill the

maxim of freedom for all, irrespective of religion or race, what will

students think if the federal government bases searches on racial

profiling, or restricts travel because of a person’s religion? Are we

willing to lock our countrymen up in the name of our safety, as we did to

a whole race of Americans during World War II? Are we willing to ruin

lives on coercion and suspicions, as we did in the McCarthy era? America

is renowned for overlooking its constitutional guarantees in the name of

safety, then regretting it later. What message will the next batch of

“safety policies” teach our children?

I liken the war on terrorism to my personal war on ants in my house.

Every year, I try different methods of eradicating them from my house,

and every year I fail. If I block one entrance, they will find another

way. I can wipe out hundreds today, only to have hundreds more back

tomorrow. I could move from my house, or lock myself in a sterile room,

or give up eating and using water. I could build a moat around my house,

then not have any money left or a way to let my friends in. I could live

in terror of the ants, or use poison that would be harmful to me too. I

could kill ants across town that might be harboring the ant leader,

whether they want to or not, because it is hard for me to tell one from

the other. I could kill every ant I see anywhere because someday they

might try to invade my house. All those methods might get rid of the ants

in my house or they might not. But, who has won then, the ants or me?

* GAY GEISER-SANDOVAL is a Costa Mesa resident. Her column runs

Tuesdays. She may be reached by e-mail at o7 [email protected] .