States across the country are struggling with budget deficits due to the recent economic meltdown. According to Yahoo News, this economic turmoil is having a devastating impact on the country's public school system, and there doesn't appear to be much help on the way. Many school systems are being forced to cut basic elements of the school experience: college prep help, art classes, sports and various elective classes. In addition, numerous districts nationwide either have or will cut thousands of jobs in attempts to reduce their budgets. This includes terminating teachers, guidance counselors and other necessary school staff.

The dire situations of public school districts is even worse for the many schools that are located in predominately black and impoverished areas. The perpetual irony in public schooling is that the schools most in need of additional resources are often the last to receive them, and the first to lose them. Many of these poorer schools were already in disarray prior to the recession. It is painful to imagine what will happen to these schools in African American and other low-income areas (and most importantly, the children in them), if nothing is done to stop the loss of resources allotted for education.


Parents with children in this system need to act now if they do not have the luxury of putting their children into private schools, or well-run charter schools. Despite the less than ideal circumstances, it is possible for a child to learn in even a struggling public school; however, it will require a great deal of support from various sources and ingenuity on the part of parents.

For example, most areas have programs that can be tapped into to provide additional support to children in need. Whether it is through a Boys and Girls Club, church or other community-based program, there are alternative avenues of support. If the school a child is attending does not have a tutoring program, parents can diligently seek out other programs in the community. I have been to many areas in varying degrees of poverty, and I have yet to go to one that did not have some type of tutoring program available. It may not be "the best that money can buy," but even if you don't have limitless resources, you should get what help you can.

The public school system in America has many problems that will not be fixed overnight. As the economy only slowly recovers, it will be some time until the monies are available to give every child in public schools even close to the education each youth deserves. In the meantime, we must do whatever is needed to assist our children (whether we gave birth to them or not) in getting a proper education. This might even mean starting our own community education and enrichment programs, if the going gets that tough at predominantly African American public schools.

It is one thing to know that you have done everything in your power to help support your child and have them go astray; it is another to not even attempt to explore every resource possible and have the child go down the wrong path. That is absolutely inexcusable. Many of our ancestors and elders experienced much worse and made no excuses in terms of getting ahead. We must show the same resolve.