My phone banking team was calling into Oklahoma in support of a State House candidate in October 2017. The fact sheet said that the schools were only open 4 days a week due to state budget cuts. I was dumbfounded. I had never heard of that before. And here we are a few months later and that fact is in the news everywhere. Vox News has a great set of podcasts as to what is happening in Oklahoma, West Virginia and Arizona and you can listen here: Vox: Oaklahoma Walkout Explained
Why is education important? Because it is one of the tools that equalizes society and provides an engine for economic growth. Without it, we will not be able to compete in the world. Period.
Weekly Action: what is the state of education in your community? Is education a priority or is more support needed? Please call your State and US Congressional Representative and thank them if the schools are in good shape. If the schools are underfunded, ask them to make education a #1 priority. The calls only take 2 minutes and they are the first step in putting an issue on your elected representatives’ radar.
Personal Reflection: I grew up in a small town in Ohio with a school system that was first rate. I didn’t always like going to school, but, I never doubted the value of the education I received.
The schools had a lot of community support. One year, my mom headed the committee to ensure passage of the “tax levy” to increase school funding. She always said that the tax amounted to the cost of a bag of groceries over a one-year period.
About that bag of groceries: If people in communities are getting raises in their jobs, then they have the money to give the schools a raise. If wages are not increasing and not equal, that bag of groceries becomes a big deal.
Without adequate funding, the schools start cutting back and do not provide art and music and other activities that make life worth living and it all becomes a downward spiral.
Let’s start an upward spiral and put families and communities first.
Have a great week,
Molly Hermes
Everyday Activist 