Home Page

Opinion

Put education ahead of politics

To the editor:
Iíve been involved with teaching in various ways for nine years. I believe we must remain committed to building strong community schools, because investing in our children is the best insurance policy for a prosperous Minnesota ñ today and tomorrow.
Unfortunately, our legislators disagreed. Last year, the legislature cut as many as 1,300 classroom teachers at the direction of Governor Pawlenty and the ultra-wealthy Taxpayersí League. Our children are sitting in makeshift desks crammed into over-crowded classrooms. It is getting harder and harder for teachers to give our students the personal attention required for a high-quality education.
Lately, Tim Pawlenty has been rolling out a number of unproven tricks and gimmicks to distract us from misguided cuts to education. One proposal snatches driversí licenses for missing school, a flimsy idea which the Commissioner of Education admits has never worked in another state. Another proposal for ìsuperteachersî would pay one teacher $100,000 ñ enough money to actually hire three more teachers for our children.
Hereís the real ìhumdinger:î Pawlenty thinks local citizens arenít good enough to run our local schools. Always the punishing parent, Pawlenty has slashed school funding, cut classroom teachers and proposed tax-wasting gimmicks ñ but somehow he wants us to believe our local teachers are to blame. A Republican governor proposes the expansion of tax-wasting centralized government programs, and Democrats are fighting for local control and fiscal responsibility. Times sure have changed.
Minnesotaís legacy includes strong community schools for our children. Education is the foundation for a strong economy and our high quality of life. Healthy schools lead to higher-paying jobs, stronger communities, and a more prosperous Minnesota.
We deserve leaders who have their priorities straight. Letís put education ahead of politics. We need legislators who put our children first.

Jeremy Kalin
Chisago Lakes township

Top of Page

©ECM Post Review

6448 Main Street
North Branch, MN 55056
Telephone: 651-674-7025
Fax: 651-674-7026
E-mail: editor.postreview@ecm-inc.com