Comments about ‘Prosperity 2020 needs public support’

Florez is correct in saying the problem is a structural one. Elected officials at every level have tried to "solve" education's problem. But the more government, especially centralized, higher-up government, has tried to help, the more problems there are. When government interferes, individuals are ignored.

The structural answer is to divide our huge regional districts into community-size districts of about one high school and its feeder schools. Get rid of jr. highs in favor of K-8 or 7-12 schools to get smaller grade levels at the schools. Finally, and perhaps most important, repeal ALL federal laws and funding related to education. The federal government has no right or business interfering in a local school district.

If those structural changes were made the communities would grow along with their children as they become involved in educating their own children. The adults have to progress if the children are to progress. This is the only way for that to happen.

It is very clear that the education community is attempting to educate without input from the parents about what is needed. The reasons for that range from uncaring/uninvolved parents to ignorance of the needs for community and workplace. Structurally we should be more aware of what workplace needs are and how to prepare students for the highest productivity possible. I think that means we decide earlier about career paths while leaving some flexibility in the system for those who by merit can move from one path to another. Some will be most capable as self-employed because they have displayed that attribute and been trained appropriately. Some will display interest and capability in people and will benefit most from training as doctors, nurses, social scientists, etc. Other will show mechanical skills and would best be trained in physics, engineering, repair, etc. Along the way most will show a preference for multiple possibilities but with core relationships between those possibilities that would further guide the educator. The ends seem myriad but along the way there are many common components. We should also demand attention to behavior that is more than just getting along in society and more about what is right and what is wrong and then learning to ignore, or tolerate, behaviors that are not wrong but are just different.

Many innovations are happening in our schools, yet our legislators are continually creating new laws that interfere with those improvements. Our lawmakers need to stop micromanaging our educational system and allow the professionals make the proper decisions in our public schools.

One thing we need to get rid of is all of the mandated testing that is happening at our schools. We are testing at the expense of valuable teaching time. Do cattle ranchers spend all their time weighing their livestock while forgetting about feeding the livestock?

I am glad to see Prosperity 2020 come together to address the real educational issues. I fear, however, that they are leaving out a key element--input from educators. Our business leaders hear what is going on in schools, but have they stepped into any classrooms lately to see what is really happening? Have they observed the real issues that educators face? Will they step forward to provide support or just be another voice to tell our school boards how they think things should be done?

Education is about creating a group of citizens that will contribute to our community's future. Education's product is the students. Dealing with people is different than dealing with a product or service. I hope Prosperity 2020's leaders will keep that in mind.