No teachers would have to take to a hockey rink ever again.For inquiries concerning the direct programs and application requests in Arkansas, please click on the CONTACTS tab to obtain the contact information for the office that services the county in which you wish to apply.Īlso known as the Section 502 Direct Loan Program, this program assists low- and very-low-income applicants obtain decent, safe and sanitary housing in eligible rural areas by providing payment assistance to increase an applicant’s repayment ability. Instead, members of Congress could actually consider carving off a large chunk of that cash for the public schools of America. Congress just approved a $768bn spending bill for the military, promising a de-facto blank check for warmongering across the globe and armaments factories back home. If Noem wants to fail South Dakota, Joe Biden and the Democrat-run Congress shouldn’t let her. In West Virginia, the teachers were able to win small pay increases while galvanizing the public behind them.Ĭhange won’t come, though, until governors and state legislatures do far more to fund public schools and the federal government pumps cash into these school systems when local politicians refuse to help. Similar strikes followed in Oklahoma, Colorado and Arizona. In 2018, teachers in West Virginia went on strike for several weeks, protesting low pay and escalating healthcare costs. Affluent parents pay more in taxes for stronger schools for their children, while school districts with poorer parents lose out, left to beg for whatever federal funding might be available. In most counties, property taxes determine the physical quality of the schools and teacher pay. A vast majority of the cost is foisted on state and local governments. Part of the trouble is that the federal government spends relatively little on public education. The top graduates from the best American colleges and universities simply don’t consider teaching because there are far better salaries and working conditions to be had on Wall Street, in the tech sector or in the medical field. In a number of wealthier nations around the world, where teaching is treated like an elite vocation, this is the case – a teacher in Germany, for example, can out-earn an entry-level doctor or web developer, which would be unheard of the United States. The teaching profession should be where the best college graduates in America go. No teacher wants to stress over how much it might cost to properly stock their classrooms with pencils and paper. Long hours at limited pay are punishing for new recruits and talented teachers can decide, after a few years, to take on private sector jobs elsewhere. On a practical level, it’s important too – many public school systems struggle to retain young teachers. It is moral, of course, to pay public educators more and not force them to fight each other at hockey games for classroom supplies. For Republicans like Noem, weaker or nonexistent unions are preferred. Teachers’ unions are feared because they are viewed as a bastion of Democratic politics. Rural states with Republican governors, like South Dakota’s Kristi Noem – a Trump favorite – tend to underfund their public school systems. South Dakota ranks among the very last in average teacher compensation. In certain states, public school teachers can enjoy comfortable pay and strong union protections, but there are many places where teachers have to work second jobs to create the semblance of a middle-class life.
The answer, of course, is that many US states do not properly fund public schools and the federal government doesn’t do nearly enough to guarantee every child has a right to a functioning school building and well-paid staff. Why were public school teachers battling each other at a hockey game for much-needed funding that should be coming from the state and federal governments? Why were pencil, paper and whiteboard purchases fodder for a frenzied competition? News of the stunt went viral and many online commentators were rightfully horrified. The cash was donated by CU Mortgage Direct, a home lender.
One teacher came away with $592 for supplies and school programs in the so-called “dash for cash”. School teachers duked it out for the one-dollar bills to pay for classroom supplies. It was intermission and the crowd wanted to be entertained. Last week, $5,000 was dropped on the ice of a local hockey rink.