That statement, in reference to a growing economy, probably holds true most of the time. But when it comes time to fund public education, that rising tide is nowhere to be found. Regardless of the strength of the economy, it s never a good year for local school boards to raise taxes, for states to contribute more aid for public education, or for the federal government to increase the financing of its entitlement programs for our public schools. Too often, that leaves educators with the task of finding other ways to raise money. Check your knee-jerk reactions at the door.
Corporate sponsorship exists in almost every facet of our lives.
In America today, corporations sponsor everything from symphonies to museum exhibits, bowl games to race cars, Olympic athletes to the Public Broad-casting System. Pepsi s sponsorship in my district goes way beyond the promotion of soft drinks. In fact, the Pepsi machines in our elementary schools aren t even available for student use. Instead, elementary students have access to machines that sell only bottled water and fruit juices. What is available to our students, courtesy of Pepsi, is money for quite a few things that might not otherwise be funded.