Another Sad Day For Education

My paternal grandfather never had the opportunity to go to school beyond the eighth grade, so for him, an education was not something that was by any means unnecessary. For my grandfather and all of his brothers, each of them worked hard on various parts of a large farming operation.

In the late 20's during The Great Depression, my Great Grandfather Ward made the largest land deal in the state of Idaho. His sons helped pull their weight, and at that time, an education was a luxury.

It appears that my grandfather regretted that lost opportunity, because he educated himselfNot only did my dad finish high school, but my grandfather also wanted him to attend college. However, it never happened.

The picture at the top shows our high school, built in 1921. Fifty years later, we were still in that building. There were three floors with numerous problems because of the age of the building. I returned to teach there in 1979, and a bond didn't pass until 1980. The class of '81 was the first to graduate from the new building.

It was a battle getting people to vote for that bond. Unfortunately, few people felt like my grandfather or father, both of whom not only expected children to get as much education as possible but also wanted something better for youth. Few people are like that, and the numbers are even fewer today.

It shocked me when I moved to Idaho Falls to teach. There was a great deal of support, but what stunned me was the reaction of those who had plenty of money. Some of them were the last to support any kind of funding or a bond in an election, and they were quite vocal about their choices. I refused to go to any doctor like that, and in one case, it saved me going back for the same surgery several times to fix something that initially didn't get fixed. The standard joke in the area for that doctor was pointing at someone's knee and saying, "Oh, there's the new door for the doctor."

Becoming a teacher meant that my passion for achieving an education for me was a priority, but I also felt that way about my own children. However, it extended beyond that. Students knew me and say me encouraging and sometimes nagging them to prepare to do additional training after high school. Education is the equalizer in today's world. It empowers people to become anything they desire.

So you can imagine my disappointment in the workings of the Idaho State Legislature the last five to eight years. When the politicians created cuts years ago to ensure public support, I knew what would eventually happen, and it did. The tax burden shifted. Politicians gave tax breaks to corporations, many of whom preferred having money given to create a strong school system.

And tax breaks also went to those with vacation homes.

Although both the sales tax and the lottery were items that the politicians promised would support schools, they shifted funding to other areas. In order to pander voters, especially the wealthy ones who also funded reelection campaigns, they successfully have now cut back taxes that forced the current situation. Within the past ten years, the legislature gave away over $200,000,000 in surplus to perpetrate a horrible situation. Rish, while temporarily in the office of governor, gave additional cuts. Businesses warned him, but he dismissed them.

Parents in District 91 refused to pass a bond that would act as a buffer during extreme cuts during the 2010 Legislative Session. It was the first time since our moving to Idaho Falls in the late 80's. On the day it failed, home school parents and children stood on the streets on Seventeenth Street and waved signs, which implied that they and their children were part of District 91's school population. They were another example of tax protesters. And they are an example of those who want no taxes at all--something I don't understand.

I was upset, so when the issue came up a second time, I decided to write a letter to the editor. That did not turn out well. I spent several days worrying about it, and after finally completing it, I submitted it before the end of business day. Here is the letter:

Some say it has been a difficult year for educators. It’s a negative status quo--decades passing without adequate salary increases. This year has seen the worst that can happen--many districts now offer pay cuts from 2 to as much as 6 percent, not including an additional 5% insurance increase, some view advanced classes and extracurricular activities as expendable, luxury items; most districts ignore needs for manageable class size restrictions in favor of a “practical approach.”

District 91 is at a difficult juncture. Passing the bond is a necessary solution.

Do you worry about an adequate education for our youth? Responsible leaders in this country have always placed educational and training needs at the forefront, understanding that an education empowers citizens to contribute to a healthy economy.

Options to trim budgets affect the continuation of programs, and “nay sayers” use oversimplification to justify their decision. The options they present appear at the last minute without the time for voters to realize that “simple” solutions are neither simple nor cost effective.

Please consider the mistake we make by taking a passive role on May 18th. Some argue we can’t afford the price tag for Idaho’s children. A true pragmatic approach will reveal that we can’t afford not to vote in support of District 91’s bond election. Inadequate education funding is unaffordable. Please vote in support of District 91’s bond election.

Jon Ward

Idaho Falls

When I checked my e-mail at a very late time of day, I found this upsetting e-mail:

Jon,

My poor old computer can't open your file. Can you cut and paste your
letter and re-send?
thanks,
corey taule
opinions page editor

I resubmitted it as requested at that time, and the next day, we sent another. Here is a second letter from Corey Taule, letting me know that he could not open it. I sent it a second time.

The next word I heard was that everything was alright. Ann and Jack and I were in Boise, so I didn't see the paper on our steps when we returned home. The letter was to be printed today.

Upon returning home from Boise, I found that the Post Register did not publish my letter as promised. My disappointment is with people who find it so difficult to understand how important a strong educational system is in this country. My government teacher explained it by showing why Third World countries did not become strong economically. First, they have no strong educational system, and secondly, there is no strong central government. These are two things that radical conservatives fight today, and I don't understand their position.

It's not an Idaho problem. We have the same situation nationwide right now. Recently in Indiana, over 17,000 teachers received pink slips. The legislature honored one new teacher because of dedication and an ability to motivate and to help students. There was a large media event. They asked the teacher to express feelings on the honor. She waved the pink slip. She was one of the 17,000.

So right now, the answer to solving education's money needs is forcing more students into classrooms. Districts nationwide close schools and fire the surplus teachers. It affects advanced classes and programs.

I am glad that I no longer teach, but it is unbearable for me to think that my grandchildren will enter schools anywhere in this country with these problems.

Teachers in Idaho have always had little respect from their state politicians, which I think is ironic. Because of the money they receive from lobbyists and the wealthy and powerful, I view their careers as the "Second Oldest Profession." One on a budget committee this year justified the 6% pay decrease this year by saying that educators are idealists, so they don't need money.

The comment is too stupid to spend time discussing. The bonds in Idaho need a super majority, and most are losing by a small percentage of votes, but the effects are devastating to schools.

There is a grassroots movement gaining momentum due to what voters have seen happening, and it won't take a super majority to get some out of office. One parent talked to me in Boise, without my bringing up the fact that I was a teacher.

It upset him that they refurbished the Statehouse and used millions to do it, that they renovated the Governor's Mansion and used money to do that, when Otter refuses to live in it. He drives from his ranch to work.

I wanted to add how Kempthorne also spent huge amounts of money securing Boise in the aftermath of the attacks in New York. It was just before George Bush selected a Homeland Security person. Kempthorne wanted the position, but he didn't get it. He had to settle for something else that he did poorly. He left Idaho before the term of his office was finished. It's just another example of how our public servants forget the people they should serve.

We live in a world, where self-promotion, self-indulgence, self-importance are most important. In spite of everything, I am glad to be alive. I'm glad I'm not still in the classroom. And I'll be glad if voters ever become truly enlightened.

I'm not angry, just because people have a different opinion that I do. It's because I've seen what an incredible effect that education has had on my life. I've also watched what it's done for my grandchildren. I guess some people like feeling exclusive about things, but regardless how impossible it becomes for everyone to educate themselves, society will ultimately pay for poor choices. It's not just about modern times. Charles Dickens used his writing to motivate change. He saw what threats want and ignorance are to any society, and when he used the term "want," it had nothing to do with hoping for designer jeans and fancy houses and cars. His definition of want was "wanting" food, shelter and basic necessities--all of which are available to citizens who have the opportunity to better themselves.

In Hard Times, Dickens ridiculed those he viewed as pragmatists. These were people who refused to make anything available that didn't generate profit. Educating people correctly doesn't make short term money.

When the Berlin Wall came down, the German government chose 22 American teachers to travel to Dresden to talk with people, who lived under the cloud of communism. I met one protestor who helped organize the rallies that helped end that restrictive government. Only a short time after the change to democracy, he he told me something interesting: he said a country, that restricts and stands in the way of people hoping to improve themselves, is not one capable of improving society. It is a government that fails in its purpose to serve its people. This man didn't want a "free ride" or a handout. He just wanted a fair shake.

The man hoped that democracy would enable him and his people to improve themselves, based on their own ability, their own ambition. His disillusionment was understanding that a free society had limitations too. Sometimes you don't find a way to improve your station in life, unless of course you belong to an acceptable class of people.

West Germans refused to put money into the newly acquired states, and it created a great deal of bitterness. In some cities, there was a 55% unemployment rate that lasted several years.

Our country's people forgot long ago what real hardship means. We complain when the unemployment rate exceeds 10%, and 5% is the norm. It reflects those between jobs nationwide.

Our country forgot long ago what it means to spend money constructively in order to remain strong: maintaining the infrastructure, maintaining a strong military, maintaining an adequate educational system. Necessary things cost money, and as taxpayers, it is our responsibility to pay our share to support a healthy economy. Business needs to do the same. Without roads and bridges and a power grid, the country is at risk. True leadership will remind American that everyone pays for these things. The tooth fairy doesn't just make them appear.

Oh, and it would be nice to give a helping hand to those down and out. I'm not saying we dole things out continually. I believe we provide educational opportunities, and after those in need find training in an area they choose, they will pay taxes too. It worked after World War II when veterans came home. Educating them and helping them and their families get on their feet is what made a generation so prosperous. The alternative is paying generations of impoverished people without hope. Anyone who thinks that this is avoidable with a simple plan is naive at best.

There are studies that show that overcoming poverty is a difficult task. People wallow in hopelessness. Helping them get out of a situation like this is the American way. You know, we live in the land of unlimited possibilities--a place not affected by a class system that doesn't allow a person to improve their social standing through ambition and intelligence.

It's interesting for to study ancient cultures. The fall of strong nations is a complicated issue. Rome clawed its way to world dominance, but that empire lost its way after struggling to sit at the top. In the end, no one wanted to serve in the military, no one wanted to pay money to pay soldiers or supply them adequately, no one wanted to maintain the infrastructure. The rich and powerful wanted to spend money on themselves. Education wasn't an issue for them, because in ancient times and even in our day, it's like Mel Brookes once said in one of his movies: "It's great to be king." If you were at the top of the society, you were there. Learning a trade often meant nothing more than being a valued slave. Money and power went hand in hand. There was no Middle Class.

In today's world, newspapers talk about the shrinking Middle Class in our country. It's not because the government overtaxes us. If you've been in Europe, you would understand just how absurd that premise is. Sales tax there is at least 10-14%, and in many countries, it's outrageously high. Taxes are very high too, but workers earn an adequate living. Companies succeed in spite of it.

Life is full of contradictions. Those with simple answers pander the ignorant. They insist that only one option appears plausible. Those who suggest such silly notions are dangerous. I love living in these days, although it is sometimes frustrating. I long to see today's America confront a problem, face the difficulty, form wise conclusions, and without assigning blame, developing a remedy for what sickens society. It is my hope and my dream.

It was those damned liberals who made it possible for the little guy to have some opportunities afforded free citizens. I still love this country shaped by them and their ideas. Those, who curse their paradigm, not only would have been Tories in the late 18th century, but they also will never understand what those men believed in so strongly--a nation of unlimited possibilities, a people of educated citizenry: intelligent enough to protect those basic ideas and concepts of freedom and equality, a culture of values, respecting others and honoring those true servants of the people. True servants of the people--regardless of political affiliation--don't make their vote available to the highest bidder, and they don't ignore basic needs of those they serve.