The future of the Chester Upland School District In Delaware County is and has been up in the air for quite some time now.

As a result of the devastating state budget cuts to education Chester Upland’s school district went under financially.

Chester Upland gets nearly 70 percent of its annual funding from the state but lost almost 20 percent of its allotment because of severe budget cuts according the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Even with the well being of students on the line the state is not stepping in to rectify the financial instability that many rightfully argue was pushed by the states multi-million dollar cuts to education.

In fact as recently as January 17th, U.S. District Judge Michael M. Baylson ordered the state advance $3.2 million to the Chester Upland School District so it could meet its payroll for the time being.

Regardless of the state’s claims that the Chester Upland School District mismanaged its budget, students shouldn’t have to suffer not knowing whether or not they will be able to keep attending their schools.

Teachers shouldn’t have to question whether they will be paid and whether they will be able to continue teaching their pupils.

Remarkably, before the federal court ruling for the $3.2 million advance of funds the teachers vowed to teach without pay for as long as they could.

That is absolute dedication to not only their profession but also to the  state’s most precious resource: our students.

Why doesn’t the state display such dedication to its students and their instructors?

Furthermore why would any state allow conditions like this to go on this long?

Will you join students & parents from across Pennsylvania to demand that Governor Corbett make equitable school funding a top priority in the next budget?

You must register online in order to reserve a seat on one of the Philadelphia buses: www.showloveforeducation.eventbrite.com

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Bucks County’s Pennsbury School District is allowing marketers to place advertisements inside their schools for profit. Subjecting students to advertising inside of schools in order to make money is ethically wrong.

Schools are supposed to act as the conduit between students and their success. However, in hopes to alleviate their budget crunch, the Pennsbury School District is allowing itself to act as the conduit between companies and students who could become customers of the companies behind the advertising.

Once again, major cuts to public education leave districts to fend for themselves and districts are now wading into the waters of business to stay afloat.

“It’s imperative we find alternate means to preserve our programs,” Assistant Superintendent W. David Bowman told the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Why is it that school districts are forced to make up for such deep budget cuts?  
On the surface it seems like an innocent trade-off. Schools give companies access to their students in exchange for much needed funding (a possible annual income of $425,000 according to a recent article from AllGov.com).  There are clearly outlined advertising guidelines: the advertisements must relate to health, education, nutrition, or school safety. Some would ask, where’s the harm?

But regardless of Pennsbury’s guidelines that prohibit direct product advertising, the presence of a brand name or it’s image is inappropriate inside of schools. Once you become associated to a brand or its name you are more likely to purchase their products. It’s bad enough students are subject to enough product bombardment in most facets of life, could we at least keep schools an ad free environment?

Another striking question is how far is $425,000 going to stretch when the budget keeps getting cut? If budget cuts become worse, districts will once again have to dig themselves out of the hole.

As districts get more desperate, will schools lift the advertisement firewall that mandates the ads must be related to health, education, nutrition, or school safety? That’s the million dollar question; would districts allow more direct product advertising in the event they needed more funding and could get it from marketers? Is this the beginning of a slippery slope towards treating students as consumers?

While I firmly don’t agree with allowing advertisers into schools, I can certainly understand why districts are making this choice. Districts like Bucks County’s Pennsbury School District are just trying to get what they need for students to achieve.

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