Cutting Education is the Wrong Answer in Tough Times

First off, I don't believe the economy is as bad as you have been led to believe. Are we in a recession? Sure. Is the stock market in a down time? Yup. Did your 401(K) suffer? Ouch. Is there a problem in the housing market? Absolutely. Is the State of Minnesota going to receive less revenue from taxes than last budget cycle? Undoubtedly.

Is it time to conjure up the ghosts of the Great Depression and roll out the black-and-white newsreels of people waiting in soup lines?

No. Markets go up and down. That's what markets do. Andy Rooney has it figured out, why can't the rest of the media? Scaring people into hoarding their money is not the way out of a recession. Being careful with your money is always a good idea - recession or no.

I think once President-elect Obama takes office and the new House & Senate are in place, you will suddenly see some "surprising" good economic news, though I, for one, will not be surprised to find out that economic problems were overblown in an election year - please excuse my cynicism.

Yesterday, the Star-Tribune reported that the State budget deficit will be "mega-bad," though the actual numbers were $5.2 billion, not the $6 billion they feared. Still bad. Mega-bad. Nothing like a little hyperbole to sell newpapers.

People voted for "change" last November, but "change" hasn't yet been defined. Perhaps in these "bear markets" and "housing crises" and "budget deficits" we should demand "change" for the long-term, not the typical quick-fixes and band-aid solutions that sometimes win elections, but never fix the problems.

Sometimes the best "change" is going back to what worked in the past. Cue FDR: "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself." You know, if President Obama were to simply re-read FDR's 1932 inaugural address in January 2009, he would gain the support of millions in an instant. People forget some of the other great lines in that speech, such as: "These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men."

How about we wipe the slate clean and start with funding education. The "New Minnesota Miracle" bill (HF 4178 / SF 3828) would fix many of the problems that exist with education funding. And I have no problem with putting regulations in place to ensure that districts spend the money appropriately.

Start there, and if I have to wait longer for the snow plow, or stand in line longer the renew my license, I'm OK with that. As much as it pains me as a football fan, perhaps smarter children must take priority over a new Vikings stadium. The State must take a very hard look at the services it is able to provide, and figure out how to fund education, while balancing the budget and not raising our taxes.

Dr Rajanen talks about "accountability" in her excellent column in this week's Patriot. As she says, "taxpayers can feel confident that school leaders have done what they said they would do." My job on the Board is to ensure that "what we say we will do" is always focused on what we should be doing. We exist to educate people. There are many other priorities that try to chip away at that goal, but education must always be job #1. Maintenance, employees, facilities, food service, and co-curricular activities are all a part of education. None of them should ever supersede the #1 goal.

Education is the basis of Democracy - and of Capitalism. Carving it up is not going to get us out of the recession. I am more and more convinced that improved public education is our only hope for a brighter tomorrow. Let us not darken our future to brighten our today.