Eric Houck, associate professor of educational leadership and policy, was a guest on The Takeaway, a public radio program that airs on stations across the country.
Houck was one of two guest experts in a program that looked at years of funding cuts to public education in many states. The program examined teacher-led movements around the country that have been pressing for increased spending on education.
Houck told host Todd Zwillich that political forces pushing for smaller governments and cuts in government spending combined with legitimate academic questions about the most effective ways to improve school performance to create an environment that contributed to erosion of funding for schools.
“I think what you see over a ten-year span is the culmination of a lot of small education policies that are leading to a culminating point for the lived experiences of educators that feels unsustainable and disrespectful,” Houck said. “And, as a result of that, financial pressures, the rhetoric that gets these bills passed can be a little rough on teachers and educators.”
Houck said many educators have watched as state legislators choose to spend rising government revenues on other programs, or to reduce taxes.
Audio of the program is available here.