The Importance Of Public Education In The United States

Public education in the southeastern United States faces a variety of issues as it winds down the first quarter of the 21st century. No issue is perhaps more daunting than the decreasing levels of state funding provided to public education over the last several years. This trend is highly prevalent in the southeast and shows no signs of turning course. Per the U.S. Census Bureau, from 2008-2014, the level of state funding in K-12 public education decreased 5.37% in all eleven southeastern states. K-12 schools rely heavily on state aid to fund their operations. "On average, some 46% of school revenues come from state funds. Local governments provided another 45%; the rest come from the federal government (Leachmen, Albares, Masterson, & Wallace p.4)." The trend of decreased education funding began with the Great Recession of 2007-2009. Not only had the state revenues declined, but school districts were unable to make up the difference from local funding sources. This was due to a sharp decline in property values which is where school districts receive their local revenue. " Local funding still hadn't recovered in 2014, leaving total state and local finding for schools per student still well below …show more content…
They include alternative certifications to non-education majors, financial incentives such as free college, and mentorship programs. However, several states, particularly in the southeast, continue to see a shortage of teachers. This can be traced back to the lack of funding. The average starting teacher salary in the southeast averaged $34,796 annually per the South Carolina Revenue and Fiscal Affairs office. Teachers are considered professionals, but they are not paid as such. Teacher salaries have remained flat since the recession. With current funding levels, some wonder if those salaries will ever be increased to meet the national