Yet again, schools in the Washington DC area are planning to, again, increase class size in the face of a tighter budget. Fairfax County,Virginia is planning to save $11 million. Loudoun County,Virginia is planning to save $7.3 dollars. The Maryland counties of Montgomery and Prince George’s: their planned savings has not been disclosed, are either seeking to combine smaller classes or cut support staff and teaching specialists.
Haven’t I seen this before last year?
Increasing pay for teachers would not solve another problem: purchasing supplies. Even with the cost of living increases they still have to buy school supplies that the school itself is supposed to buy.
As for the middle class families can transfer to a private or parochial schools, what about children of working class families? What about disabled children? What about those who speak English as a second language? If they remove the specialized staff, they will have a difficult time in school.
Again, this is easily solvable. Repeal the property tax. Implement a county income tax. Use general taxation to fund schools.
As for the class sizes: Reduce classes to 15 students, per class. From elementary to high school.
News Source: To Save Money, Some Schools In Region Plan Bigger Classes
