INTRODUCTION
The prevalence of poverty is often an overlooked issue in the United States and the rest of the world. Although, yearly, humanitarian missions and numerous government and non-government organizations are extending its arm to address the issue, the problem continues to get out of proportion. More and more funds are being gathered and collected in support of the poor populations of the world. Poverty is a disease that continues to destroy the world today. The media has played a vital role in bringing this concern into attention. But still many people are unaware of the true situation surrounding this predicament. Time and again, the concept of poverty is merely being treated as it is. There is no extra effort being exerted by the government and organizations that have the authority, the jurisdiction and the capability to help and make a difference.
In a span of decades, people have understood the concept to make the best out of every opportunity. Ideas and projects are being pursued no end to counter the growing menace of financial difficulties. In the past, companies and corporations lead the economic growth of the United States. Individuals rely a lot too much on their government. However, with the rise of small and medium business, individuals are able to make their dreams a reality. These people open up opportunities that have never been possible in the past. Today, life has never been comfortable and livable. The land many considered as a melting pot, and the country many called the land of milk and honey is a picture of stability and success.
In spite of the almost perfect lives of the American people and its immigrants, the poverty issue continues to be dodged and ignored. In the backstreets and alleys of progressive states, in the rural and underdeveloped places of the world’s premier nation, troubles and arise thrive and gets in the way of the lives of many citizens. Because of the headlines which banner progress and development, the rotting system lurking nearby is being wrapped underneath the sheets. But the suffering of these poor people can never be put off for so long.
Poverty in the streets and in the neighborhood is a picture of family degradation. A large percentage of the population is caught in the trap of illiteracy. The concept of achieving is tied up with the need to be educated. The number of persons in the world ignoring the significance of education is alarming. Because of so many opportunities for acquiring wealth, individuals usually look elsewhere and find the educational system a waste of time. For them, education is a far solution to the problems besieging their entire lives. Even in the United States where the educational system is considered as the best in the world, many people shy away from the promising prospects that it brings.
People go on with their lives armed only with that determination to make something of every opportunity. It is sad to know that a huge number of the population have been misled by the quick money schemes and get-rich options being offered everywhere other than the school. Neglecting the need for education will rob off individuals with their undeveloped talents and skills which can be instrumental in getting a decent life. They disregard the need to nurture and feed their brains. Perhaps the biggest contributing factor in the downside of the world’s education system is the unwilling participation of the government to get involve and make a difference in the lives of their citizens.
With numerous schools in shambles and without support, a lot of persons are getting the wrong idea that education doesn’t matters. The lack of schools in the places where education should be a priority is discouraging children to prepare themselves for playing their part in the society. This becomes the root cause of the widespread poverty today. Important and necessary information deny people the chance to develop their potential which will be helpful in making a difference in the future of their families, in their societies and the rest of the world.
FINANCIAL HARDSHIP
Facing the world is an undaunting and overwhelming task especially for an individual who is in dire financial difficulty. Money is a key factor in both the positive and negative actions of the society. Sooner or later, an individual must face the fact that financial opportunities matter. Every inch of the way, every situation and every aspect of life, money leads the way. It is an instrument for survival. To go far in the real world, finances are needed. People know that money can spell the difference between being rich and being poor. Although, there are other things other than money to succeed, individuals have to live by the standards of the situation. Financial flexibility is a building block in today’s reality.
The world has seen the transition of mediocrity to excellence through numerous success stories. Many of them, however, lack the educational benefits that schools give. Theirs is a pursuit of progress through hard work, patience, taking risks and a lot of good luck. But the truth is the backgrounds of successful persons who never finished school is limited. They have to cope up with this fact by wading through other options to make it to the big leagues. Wanting in education, these people turn to their social networks and natural skills and talents to gain headway to stay in contention. Theirs is an inspirational story if and only if they stay on top of the situation. But too many times, successful people suffer a fall and eventually loose everything. This is where the significance of education kicks in. In dire straits, education is the closet thing to having a cushion or a fall back. It is something where anybody can build upon to make meaningful changes.
THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM
While there are many colleges and universities in the world advertising the curriculum which they provide, numerous elementary and high school systems lie unattended and neglected. The standard of world education is several levels higher than it has been in the past. With all the advertising and the high cost of tuition, college education has never been commercialized as it is now. There are prestigious high schools who give the young population the necessary education process. However, it cannot cater to the needs of the higher population bordering on the poverty level.
Many public schools have a system which can rival with the best in the world. It has good teachers and it can provide a good quality education. But with all the rising costs tied up to maintaining and improving an educational system, schools lie in wait for financial assistance. Usually, the supports these schools receive come from foundations and non-profit organizations. With this kind of problem hampering the literacy programs in many parts of the United States, the government is proposing and implementing the necessary counter measures.
PROGRAM FOR THE SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
A sound education system comes with an excellent school environment and facilities. Students must have a good atmosphere in studying in order to digest more his lessons. Due to the present challenges, school construction projects are hard to come by. Because of this problem, the State Allocation Board has introduced the school facility program. SAB has appointed the Office of Public School Construction (OPSC) as the overseeing body to administer the Financial Hardship Assistance program, a program that is tasked to give assistance in building school facilities to those places that cannot afford their own fees in constructing school buildings and facilities. The SAB has tasked the OPSC to process applications for review and approval in accordance with its mandated regulations. They are the screening branch of the whole program in which they examine all the applicants and try to see those qualified applicants. The said program is currently being implemented in most states in the United States. Education code section 17075.10 has been imposed to use all debt capacity and development possible. This is a campaign to increase the quality of education among students.
THE STATE ALLOCATION BOARD
The SAB is a policy level body responsible for allocating resources and finances to districts in need of school construction funding. There are actually three programs being managed by this board, namely, the School Facility program, the State Relocatable Classroom program, and the Deferred Maintenance program. Based on existing policies, funds are being provided by the board to school districts.
THE OFFICE OF PUBLIC SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION
Prior to submission for approval, the OPSC carefully implements SAB policies on all the school programs available. This office is the main facilitator in setting out the necessary steps to implement such policies. It clears up things for the SAB for proper processing of application and the releasing of funds. Agendas, projects and records are all being kept by the OPSC as basis for school construction and future references. Record keeping is very important.
BUILDING THE SCHOOL
It is a dream for educators to promote and implement education under the conducive environment of school buildings. Funds are usually hard to come by. Grants, donations and other means of acquiring finances are being pursued. In most cases, the money collected from organizations and foundations are very much limited. It means that, constructing school buildings need a strong financial support to make the educators’ dream a reality. Because of this, public school administrators turn to other options. With the implementation of the financial hardship assistance program, school construction will be achieved. The need for more public schools will boost the threat of a declining literacy programs. Armed with the financial support from the government, individuals from all levels will have a chance to meet their educational needs.
EXPANSION AND OTHER NEEDS
A lot of young people are going to school. But there’s a lot more coming which can create problems with the current capacity for school building allocation. There are numerous schools around the country but these are not enough. Shortages are reported periodically. Although, many students drop out of school sometime in a given school year, enrollees and interest in getting an education continue to soar. This is because the population continues to grow and the demand to have education is relevant in the world today.
With the increase in demand for education among the people, there is also an increase in the school population. The increase in school population presupposes that there is a need to make room for improvements. Additional classrooms are needed and other school facilities in order to cater the need. New facilities must be acquired to make the public education system competitive. Competitiveness is what a school must have in order to produce good quality students.
The quality of education should never be inhibited by the rising costs school projects. Extra efforts must be pursued by the government to make sure that people get an equal chance to shine in school. Every pupil or student must be given what is due to them in order for them to be assets of the future and making our society a better place to live. Knowledge should never be threatened by numerous school concerns. The students’ growth must always be pursued and must always be a priority not only by the school but also by the government.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Many districts really do need assistance in their creation of a competitive education within its area of responsibility. The financial hardship assistance program does not come out of a silver platter. There are processes for the school administrators and educators to undergo. SAB 50-04 is a worksheet which applicants for the program must comply with because this will give the approving body a basis of how much funds will be released to the district concerned. The financial statement of a district is being reviewed to allow the SAB to have a clear picture of the district’s financial status.
In addition, expenditures are also being monitored to allow the SAB to determine the capacity of the school district to manage their funds. The State Board will dig into the transactions of a school district. Details of such transactions will be closely identified and monitored. A historical background about the financial status of a district will reviewed. How a school manages its financial obligations will also be included in the investigative processes of the report for application background check.
APPLICATION FOR FUNDING
The OPSC will verify all district applications before documents can be forwarded to the SAB for approval. Verification process will be made by the general staff. Inquiries and questions must be met with reasonable answers leading to application acceptance. Both the SAB and the OPSC are looking for reasons which are considered favorable for the benefit of the educational system of a school district. Other than that, both governing bodies will nullify any application which projects a reasonable degree far from the proposed objectives of a school project. Supporting documents and information for the district’s project will reveal the availability of funds for the school.
CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL
There are lots of conditions in terms of having the approval in order to benefit from the program. Once the financial hardship has been approved by the SAB through verification by the OPSC, a next set of conditions must be fulfilled. Strict screening and approval is needed to avoid any misuse of funds that are really allocated to those districts that are in need of assistance. The availability of implementation study and needs analysis will be reviewed. Such documents will support the maximum levy amount being shelled out by the district concerned. The levying of the district must be supported in documentation by the school board. The levy amount to a developer must be at a maximum. In cases of alternative option, revenue amount should be equal to the developer’s fees or greater.
The school should give evidence that it has been paying a debt service for school facility purposes. Three certificates are significant at this point: the district’s current assessed valuation; outstanding bonded indebtedness; and remaining bonding capacity. In accordance of Proposition 39, the school must have a successful registered voter bond election for the least maximum allowed under the said proposition. The time period will be two years from the date of request for financial status. Districts allowed for assistance must be a county superintendent of schools. The area’s total bonding capacity at the time for request is $5 million or less. If the application for the financial hardship assistance is denied, a $2,000 rental per year per classroom will be allowed under the Emergency School Classroom Law of 1979. A two year period is given.
The SAB classifies the financial hardship assistance for school facility program as construction and modernization. Approval by the State Board will allow the district to process the financial worksheet. The document reflects the need for school funds. Expenditure reports should also be included to allow the approving body to view the expenses made by the school before applying for the program. Inclusion of bond passages is also important. Unused sites and its purposes within the area where the construction will take place must be listed.
In cases of financial hardship renewal, documentation supporting the receiving of developer’s fees must be submitted with the needs analysis study as supporting papers. If the school district is not receiving developer’s fees, a Developer Justification Study must be submitted as evidence. For the verification of the district’s matching share requirements, the current bond indebtedness must be least 60%. Documents for the current bond must be certified by a County Auditor-Controller. In addition, a documentations supporting that the district had a successful voter bond election, a copy of the bond pamphlet, registrar of votes certification, maximum bond amount document, current bonding capacity and outstanding bond indebtedness. The last two documents should be certified by the Country Auditor-Controller.
For expiring financial hardship worksheets, a total bonding capacity is $5 million or less certified by the controller. Required documents include expenditure reports based on an independent audit document. One significant documentation that must never be ignored is the purpose. The significance of the purpose of the financial hardship application will be a factor in the processing of the requirements for the assistance program. The Current Enrollment Certification/ Projection and Existing School Building Capacity forms are needed for interim housing allowance computation. However, those forms are not necessary for modernization projects. Both are only required for new constructions of school facilities and buildings.
CONCLUSION
Applying for the financial hardship assistance program is no easy feat. Like any delicate application that involves finances, there is a strict guideline to be followed. Numerous documents are required for the school district for compliance and in order for them to be qualified as applicant. It is essential that the district must have a clear purpose on why it is pursuing an assistance program for school facility purposes. They must have a very convincing reason on why they want to benefit from the program.
The SAB and the OPSC have policies which cannot be ignored. Part of the whole process is to adhere to different requirements. Strict enforcement of its rules and regulations enables them to identify to release funding to legitimate projects only. There are no shortcuts in terms of complying with the necessary documents for application. A pre-approval process does not guarantee a funding from the program, it is only a part of the different steps that need to be done.
School facility constructions are centered to foster the proper implementation of the educational system. The governing body of financial hardship caters only to the needs of district schools with an objective to help not only the system but the population who are interested to gain professional learning experience. The submission of requirements is considered critical in a sense that, protection of funds is a priority. SAB and OPSC are concerned that funding will fall into the wrong hands if strict implementation of procedures is not followed.
Applications for legitimate school constructions do not have problems complying with the regulations imposed by the governing body. The documents are retrieved without difficulty because the purpose is clearly defined. The role of the OPSC is significant since the results of reviewing all program applications will become the main basis for approval by the SAB and it is vital in the whole process. In addition, the board is looking into a situation that will not undermine the objective of the program. The general staff concerned are always looking into a guaranteed deal of protection and assistance for the district school and the State board.
Programs like the Financial Hardship Program must be adopted by all districts of the United States and even other countries around the world. Education is very vital to a country’s success and it is deemed to be the foundation of the society’s future. There must always be programs like this that really do takes care of the education aspect of every society that molds the pupils and students and helps them attain and have a better learning environment.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/opsc/Resources/Fin_Hrdshp_Info.pdf
http://www.documents.dgs.ca.gov/opsc/Resources/Fin_Hrdshp_Expiring.pdf
http://www.opsc.dgs.ca.gov/SFPrograms/SFP_Fin_Hrdshp.htm
