Education Deficit

Even though we continuously hear about the nation being in the midst of a severe recession on a daily basis, most would have to agree that one of the most disturbing parts of the whole debacle is the fact that our educational sector is suffering irreparable damage.

As legislators battle back and forth about budget cuts, the carnage continues to roll down hill until finally school boards across the state are faced with having to decide which schools to close and teachers to cut amidst the angry ranting of parents and citizens who demand to know where their tax dollars are going if not to their children’s education.

It is a sad day when decisions have to be made as to whether or not schools should be kept open, as opposed to bars and strip clubs that seem to be on every corner. While the latter are not funded by the state or federal government, you can still see the irony in the parallel.

Education is the foundation of our society’s advancement in every sector. Without it our nation is doomed to become subservient to nations who understand the importance of the acquisition and application of knowledge.

Even before we fell into this “recession” many Michigan schools, mainly those in predominately Black regions, suffered a lack of the basic necessities needed to ensure that students were being properly educated. Factors such as lack of text books, over-crowded classrooms, and little or no busing are just some of the more prevalent issues that will be multiplied exponentially if schools continue to be closed. Then what can we expect? More apathetic youth who see no purpose in getting up to go to school every day.

Maybe some of the banks that received all those unrequested billions of dollars in bailout money should be so kind as to write a few checks to jump start the “education bailout”. Or perhaps there could be a motion put into place to give large corporations special tax incentives for adopting a school. Or maybe instead of people adopting a highway, they could adopt a class to help buy some books. The possibilities are endless.

When people can go to the bar or club and blow $200-300 on drinks alone, or pay upwards of $150 just for a VIP ticket, you have to believe that a resolution for funding education and helping our children lies somewhere that is reasonably within our reach.

If ever there was a time to start thinking outside of the box, it would be pretty safe to say that that time is now.