A quality edcation should be a funding priority

The 2013-2014 school year may be one of the most trying times for education in recent memory.

Children, teachers and administrators are already facing the prospects that the state budget situation and its impact on education funding will get worse.

Add in the myriad number of federal programs and requirements, often without funding, and you can see the dilemma as it unfolds.

For those school districts that have seen dwindling enrollment, the problem then becomes exacerbated.

Educators have responded admirably, putting these concerns aside year after year as they work to teach, nurture and motivate our youth.

Yet, further cuts and reductions always seem to loom as our state legislature and our federal government try to come to grips with declining revenues and decidedly different political ideologies.

Nationally, the closing of school buildings, moves to four-day school weeks, year-round school (to get the most use out of the buildings) or shorter school years (lessening transportation budgets amid higher fuel prices), and larger class sizes have taken place. More of the same may still be likely.

Local systems grapple with filling open positions and maintaining current programs.

Is this good for students and our future? And is it important to consider such concerns?

Larger classrooms have proven to be one of the biggest detriments to a quality education. Few disagree that in today's competitive world, more personal attention is needed for students to adequately grasp learning concepts and excel along the educational path.

Closing school buildings has proven to be one of the most contentious issues for communities and neighborhoods, especially in smaller towns where the school really is the historical hub. Going this route sparks a period of adjustment for all involved.

A four-day school week, as well as shortening the school year or going to year-round school, with staggered periods of attendance, offers systems another option to reduce costs.

At a time when public education has come under increasing fire over safety issues and competitive and quality concerns in a global economy, business and industry is demanding better-trained and more knowledgeable workers.

The biggest single issue that most firms face is having a qualified labor pool.

Business leaders point out it's dangerous to put our country further behind in producing a quality workforce.

Still others would argue that there's a direct correlation between public spending on schools and public spending on prisons.

A number of law enforcement officials across the country have noted for years "if you don't spend it on the front end, educating students, you spend it on the back end, building prison beds."

Their belief is that a sound education system provides well-rounded opportunities for students by keeping them busy and keeping them challenged while educating them in academics and social skills.

Such a system will have a direct impact on those individuals who, without such supervision, guidance, encouragement, and teaching, drift into criminal behavior.

Most would also agree that simply throwing more money at the problem is not the sole answer.

But there comes a time when any system reaches a point where a set of standards must be agreed on and the funding for those standards be put in place.

Just getting by, going with the minimum, shouldn't be acceptable. We short change our youth and ultimately, we short change ourselves, through growing public safety issues to less qualified labor.

It's a vicious circle that tightens further. The net result is that we all lose.

It's time for we as a community and as a state to determine our priorities. And that must include a quality education.