Recently I had a conversation with my brother, a retired physician, who lives in another state. He was lamenting the fact that the Federal government was driving local decisions on education while only contributing a small percentage to the overall budget. It made me think about all the misinformation that has been at the base of many decisions voters make on local, state and Federal elections. In that spirit, I am going to try to shine a light on some serious misconceptions about critical issues given the election season is a few weeks and months away.
Myth: Federal interference in state and local decisions about education. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics in school year 2014–15, elementary and secondary public school revenues totaled $664 billion in constant 2016–17 dollars. Of this total, 8 percent, or $56 billion, were from federal sources; 47 percent, or $309 billion, were from state sources; and 45 percent, or $299 billion, were from local sources. Translated, this means, local and state decision makers are the keys to the quality of education in our communities, since they decide how local and state funds drive local school district budgets. Do we consider that when voting in state and local contested races? Do we ask questions of candidates that directly speak to the education of young children, such as what percentage of the budget is spent on early childhood education?
Myth: Parents don’t work and just take advantage of government handouts to survive. The US Labor Department reported in early October that the country is experiencing an extraordinary 8½-year streak of monthly job growth, the longest on record, crossing both presidential administrations. If we have such a low unemployment rate, why do we still need programs to help families make “a living”? In Mississippi, the minimum wage is what is required to be paid by the Federal government, $7.25 per hour. In January 2018, eighteen states raised the minimum wage. Mississippi was not one of them. Full time minimum wage workers in Mississippi earn a total of $290.00 per week and approximately $15,080.00 per year (based on an 8 hour day and a 260-day work year) before taxes. The federal poverty threshold for a household of two is $14,570 per year. According to Kids Count, the unemployment of parents seeking employment in Mississippi was 4% in 2017. Translated, this means, parents are working, many at the lowest legal wage possible. Elected state officials can change this, if advocates push for a living wage for all working Mississippians.
Myth: Welfare promotes unmarried women to have babies so they can collect a check. According to a report issued by The Balance , there are six major welfare programs that exist to provide subsidies to the poor. Recipients must prove their income falls below a target, which is some percentage of the federal poverty level. In 2018, that’s $25,100 for a family of four. Many Mississippians hear about the TANF Program (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), a federally funded program and assume it is a program that discourages work by providing monetary incentives to stay home. Nationally, TANF provided, on average, income to 2.5 million recipients in 2017. Of these, 1.9 million were children.
In 2016, TANF assisted only 23 percent of the families living in poverty. On average, a three-person family received $447 a month. Despite this help, they still live below the poverty line. Families who receive TANF must get a job within two years. They might not get more money if they have another child. They can own no more than $2,000 in total assets. They can only receive TANF for five years or less in some states. According to the Clarion Ledger, Mississippi has some of the most rigid procedures in the country for families to meet to qualify for TANF and families receive lower benefits that average. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families recipients receive $170 a month in Mississippi compared to $442 nationally. Eight percent of Mississippi families in poverty are accessing TANF compared to 23 percent nationally and the caseload for TANF between 2006 and 2015 fell 48 percent in Mississippi, while 21 percent nationally.
Some elected officials would promote the old notion of TANF providing welfare payments encourages births to single mothers who do not work, but that is simply not true. If we want to continue to show statistics as reported in 2015 which point to 59% (64,800) of young children in Mississippi, under age 3, living in low-income families and 59% (71,099) of young children, ages 3 through 5, living in low-income families, we need to just do what we have been doing and ask little to nothing of our state elected officials. We have several months to formulate questions and pose them to those running for state-wide offices. Shame on us if we don’t. We will be as much to blame as those who continue to keep using decades old rhetoric to harm our children and our state.
by Dr. Cathy Grace