A simple equation
Wow! What a busy time of the year! Spring break is right around the corner, and the end of the school year is within sight. March Madness is well underway, and the extra curricular activities are abundant. Before long, the caps and gowns will be ordered, and pomp and circumstance will be in the air.
No kidding ... The number of school activities — including academic, athletic and extracurricular — being held across the county are abundant right now and will only increase as the end of the school year draws near. As I write this column, I’m able to see a list we keep in the BCR Editorial Department that chronologically lists many of the upcoming school activities slated for the next couple of months. At a glance, I see nearly every school in Bureau County on this list ... lots of activities, involving lots of Bureau County children. As always, I am impressed, and I know the newspaper staff will have a difficult time keeping up with the coverage of all the events ... I guess that’s a good thing because that means our schools are full of great academic, athletic and extracurricular events.
I’ve always thought we’re very lucky in Bureau County. Our schools are primarily filled with teachers and administrators who care deeply about their responsibilities to help educate our children. On several occasions, I’ve seen a Bureau County teacher far surpass that extra mile to ensure the success of his/her students. On the other side of that equation, I’ve also seen Bureau County students excel and far surpass any and all expectations. Like I said, we’re very lucky.
But when it comes to educating children, luck is only a small part of the picture. Besides good teachers, supportive parents and engaging curriculum, there is a single element all schools need to thrive — and it doesn’t take a scholar to figure out what that is. We learned about it very early in arithmetic class many years ago ... It’s really no more than simple addition. The bottom line — when you add it all up — the element that allows our schools to stay afloat is ... money.
Keeping that in mind, I can’t understand why each and every one of us is not jumping up and down about the current crisis in school funding. In the past few weeks, the headlines on this newspaper have screamed “TROUBLE.” Every school district in the county (not to mention the state) is at risk of losing a lot if the state of Illinois doesn’t come through with the money it has promised. I’m not talking just a few cuts here and there, folks. I’m predicting huge cuts in curriculum, staff, extracurricular activities and more. All that coupled with classrooms filled with way too many students, which creates all kinds of additional problems for those attempting to educate our most priceless assets — our children.
A few weeks ago, Princeton Elementary School District Superintendent Tim Smith made a public awareness plea. He said, “It’s time to make our concerns known ... It is very severe. We have a total failure of revenue from the state, and it’s getting worse by the day.”
When I read those words in this newspaper, they shook me. Smith is not one to spin a story; he’s a straight shooter, and I respect his opinion. So when this administrator (along with a host of other administrators) says there is a severe problem, he’s not kidding. Our schools are at risk of losing a lot, and once those elements are gone, they seldom return.
Our apathy concerns me. Why aren’t we jumping up and down, writing and/or calling our legislators, asking ... no ... demanding what today’s students deserve? School boards can only make the dollars stretch so far ... after that, those same boards are left to start making cuts that will ultimately affect each one of us ... maybe not now, but I guarantee we’ll see those effects down the road.
Our children’s education is at risk. If we think that’s wrong, then we need to make our voices heard. It’s simple mathematics ... less money equals less education. No money equals a disaster.
