The stock market is at record highs. The Dow crossed 16,000 two weeks ago and the NASDAQ reached 4,000 this week. Consumer confidence is up and tax receipts have recovered to 2008 levels.
Real estate values grew by a whopping 13 percent this year (in a 20-city
Case Shiller composite
), but growth ranges from less than 4 percent growth in Cleveland to 25 percent in San Francisco. Housing prices in many cities have rebounded to 2004 levels but remain
well below bubble prices of 2007. Comparable sales are up 8 percent at Home Depot indicating that people are investing in their homes.
The Rockefeller Institute
reports that income and sales tax receipts are recovering rapidly as well, but that varies too. On the flip side, there are a record number of children who are homeless and living in poverty.
Does the recovery mean good news for for K-12 schools? It depends: in some places yes--for now. In other places, it’s still tough sledding.
Tough Rhode.
“We’re not looking at any tide of rising revenues in the near future,” said Deborah A. Gist, Commissioner in Rhode Island, which currently has the
second-highest unemployment rate in the country.
Gist said, “Our focus remains on phasing in of our funding formula for state aid to education, which provides aid to school districts based on student
capacity and community need.” The Commissioner is also “encouraging efficiencies in such areas as construction, transportation, purchase of supplies so
that school districts can concentrate expenditures on improving teaching and learning.”
Rhode Island is investing wisely when expenditures are necessary. Gist added, “We’re very pleased that our Governor and legislature have approved a $20
million bond to bring wireless Internet access to every classroom in Rhode Island - a worthwhile investment that we cannot postpone.
Two recently constructed or reconstructed Rhode Island schools won U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon awards. “We’re proud that our very few new
construction projects are committed to energy efficiency and a minimal energy footprint. These investments save taxpayer dollars and serve as a living
laboratories for students as well.”
The squeeze.
Rising home prices and improved confidence may make it a bit easier to pass local levies in many parts of the country.
“With higher income and property taxes, state budgets are gradually recovering--but these receipts lag the economy by a year or two,” said John Bailey, Digital Learning Now!
Where the modest recovery and housing market is producing some additional revenue, Bailey suggests, “The question is how to spend it?”
Increasingly, states are using these revenues to pay for rising pension costs and filling in the remaining holes left from the recession. States
participating in the new Medicare expansion under Obamacare will have the full costs covered for three years but then have to pick up part of the tab all
while finding state funds to cover the additional costs. These combined costs will continue to crowd out education investment in many state budgets. Bailey
thinks in most states, “The question is how to do more with less.”
Former Maine Commissioner Stephen Bowen doesn’t think system heads in most states should be counting on any additional funds. He adds, “No amount of money
is going to make the factory-era model of schools work more effectively.”
Bailey suggests, “The answer to both is blended learning - it makes the most of limited dollars.” By blending the best of onsite and online learning,
Bailey suggests schools have the opportunity to simultaneously boost achievement and sustainability.
As Gist described, the shift to blended learning does require state and district investment. One interesting strategy is the Straight A Fund in Ohio, a $250 million fund created in the new state budget signed this
summer by Gov. Kasich. Grants, which will be announced mid December, will award sustainable innovations.
Bailey notes, “Pensions are the other time bomb that really haven’t been addressed.” Ballooning pension liabilities are a dark cloud hanging over many
district, municipal and state budgets.
Former Florida Commissioner and Senior Advisor to Chiefs for Change, Eric Smith agrees that pension liability are
a big threat. He thinks wise investment of new surpluses “is an opportunity for education to be part of the increased economic confidence.” But he worries
that “the current controversy with standards and testing doesn’t help.”
Next steps.
Improving economic conditions may not translate into a recovery of loss education revenues and where they do it may be temporary. As Gist and Bailey
suggest, there is a window of opportunity in many states to make smart investments in infrastructure and new school models that will result in benefits for
decades to come. Bowen, who now leads innovation at CCSSO, suggests, “Any additional funding we do have should be
invested in innovation and new approaches.” The Straight A Fund in Ohio may prove to be a productive roadmap.
For state and district leaders considering the path forward, John Bailey, Carri Schneider and I wrote Navigating The Digital Shift, a free ebook that
includes the Blended Learning Implementation Guide and supporting chapters outlining school finance, staffing, and online learning strategies.
It’s time for state leaders to make a plan for the shift to personal digital learning--and back it up with smart investments.
Digital Learning Now! is a Getting Smart Advocacy Partner.