Education Pays
by Alan King
Our economy is slumping a bit compared to the glory days of
a few years ago. All of the local governments are losing funding.
I know that with my own business I've given up all hope of
any near term growth. I know a couple of people that have been
laid off so long that they have just about given up trying to
find a decent job. There are a slew of ads in the service directory
for handymen, hauling, and other entrepreneurial ventures of the
newly self employed. And in the midst of this, the local school
district asks us to pass a tax levy.
The Xenia School District like most others in the area is facing
a substantial cash shortfall this year. Remember a couple of
years ago when the Superintendent passed around wish lists to
see how we wanted to spend something like $20 or $30 million?
The choices favored tearing down some of our more venerable school
buildings, like Shawnee and Tecumseh, moving most of Xenia's
elementary children into huge elementary schools, and busing the
junior high kids to the high school building. A shiny new high
school building was in there as well. Apparently there was some
way to get a big chunk of money from the state if we only spent
a few million of our own bucks.
I didn't like the idea of spending all that money then and I'm
sort of glad that the money isn't there to do it now. I think
it is wrong to tear down the good neighborhood schools we have
now just to build some new buildings. So I wrote my first piece
for the Gazette back then just to say so. Why not just fix them
up? I argued. They have 200 year old buildings in Europe that
are perfectly modern inside. As things have turned out, I'm
sure the School Board would be happy just to keep what they've
got now. Forget the new stuff.
Which brings me to the point. We get to decide next week if
the local school system gets adequate local funding or whether
they have to cut back pretty drastically to make ends meet. It's
one of those rare times when the community really gets a chance
to vote on something of actual importance and expect their individual
votes to send a genuine message.
If the levy fails, the message will be, "The school system
is overgrown and I'm tired of paying for it!" If the vote
is for the levy, it says, "Things are OK. Keep up the good
work." If the first message gets more votes, the schools
will have no choice but to cut back what they spend. In an ideal
world this would result in leaner, more efficient programs. Poorly
performing staff would get the boot. Wasteful programs would
die. Excellence would rise to the challenge. In a perfect world.
I know how most bureaucracies work. Under pressure to slim down,
they look for places to cut. The sad fact is that if they cut
out the fat (get by without an extra administrator or two, for
instance) nobody notices. If, however, they cut out some muscle
(stop the school busses or fire a dozen elementary teachers or
shut down all sports) the parents will notice. They'll start
complaining at the school board meetings. Activists will get
on the phone. Kids will beg Grandma to vote for their schools.
Letters will be written. "Save our Schools" signs
will sprout on lawns.
And you know that the levy will be on the ballot time after time
after time until it finally passes. This happened here in the
90's and the schools really began to suffer before the new levies
were finally passed after 3 or 4 tries at the ballot. Jamestown
schools went through this for several years in the recent past.
So after a long or a short time, (we get to decide), we'll pass
a levy that will avoid a crisis for another 2 or 5 or 7 years
until it expires and the whole thing starts again.
The point here is that I still think that the school system could
do better with less than they had when the economy was booming,
but I also want them to have enough to give my kids good teachers
in classes that are not too large. The bells and whistles, I
could take or leave. I'm going to vote in favor of the school
levy next Tuesday for a couple of reasons. First, and most importantly,
I think that the school system does a good job. All of my kids
have attended Xenia schools. I attended Xenia schools, as did
all of my family and most of my friends. We all got very good
educations, thanks. So it's a loyalty thing. And secondly because
I know from experience that our schools will be hurt enough by
a failure now that a levy will pass sooner or later without fail.
I'd just as soon avoid the pain. Our schools are great. We
have a whole bunch of talented and dedicated teachers and principals
that deserve our support. I want to make the decision myself.
I want to vote on it. Times are a little tough. That means
that I have a harder time coming up with a couple of hundred dollars
for property taxes. But I will. Education doesn't cost, it pays.
Go Xenia!
© 2004 Alan D. King
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