About the Beat

It is no secret the United States’ economy is in a recession. What has also become apparent in the past few years is that public education is one of the first items on the chopping block when budgets are reconstructed. The effects are felt at every level of the education system from elementary, middle and high schools to the state universities. Cuts to education budgets have been in the news for decades, and with each slash the results become more magnified. As a result, students and families have been taking on a larger financial obligation, especially at the collegiate level.
Now, with hard times falling upon more and more families, the decreased affordability of education is taking a more dramatic toll. That can even be seen in primary and secondary schooling. Private schools are becoming less of an option for Americans and that not only makes it more difficult for the schools losing enrollment to operate, but puts a larger burden on the already-stretched public schools those children are entering.
Another part of the education system that is taking a hit due to the economy is scholarships and financial aid. College tuition nowadays is a small fortune even at a state school, and there is less money being provided to help offset the cost for potential students. There are also more people applying for financial aid and scholarships than ever before because of the worsened economy, further compounding the problem.
As a student at Washington State University, I see first-hand the consequences these drastic budget cuts are having on our school, but we are not alone. As unbelievable as it sounds, it is even worse in some places and those nation-wide issues can offer a glimpse at what may be in store for this region. Follow me as I explore what happens in the education realm during the next four months and how it may affect the Northwest.
Please direct any questions or comments to mwalsh88@wsu.edu.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Robbing the Future

An area that is just beginning to see the ill-effects of budget cuts is scholarship funding. A recent Wall Street Journal article examines the inevitable decline –and potential evaporation –of merit-based scholarships in a number of states. The state of Washington does not have a blanket merit-aid scholarship system, but Washington State University offers a scholarship similar to the ones discussed in the article, called the University Achievement Award. I received this award, which takes into account high school GPA and SAT/ACT scores, upon enrolling at WSU for the fall of 2006. Despite tuition rising, the scholarship, which used to be worth up to $5,000, has declined in value.

This trend is the exact opposite of what the country needs, according to an article in the San Jose Mercury News by Ted Mitchell and Jonathan Schorr. Mitchell is the president of the California Board of Education and the two are partners at NewSchools Venture Fund in San Francisco. The article compares our current recession to the Great Depression and urges our new leaders to review how investing in education allowed us to climb back to prominence. "With resources drained by economic crisis and war, one might imagine we don't have the luxury of making education a high priority right now. In fact, now is exactly the time," Mitchell and Schorr argued.

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