Today, the school district in Kansas City, Missouri is making national headlines by announcing that in order to avoid bankruptcy, they will be closing down half of their public schools starting next fall. I grew up in the KCMO metro area and to me, it is no news that their schools are in crisis.
I lived in one of the surrounding suburban areas and went to very good public schools, but only because my parents purposely moved us out of the KC school district before we started school. What I remember growing up, are countless news stories of scandals and multiple firings of school board members and school superintendents. It was generally agreed upon that the schools in Kansas City were terrible, and this was over 10 years ago. The entire city has been in decline for decades as those who can afford to, move to the suburbs. I was discussing this today with someone who is from the East coast, and she told me her first reaction to the news story was "Really, in Kansas City? But it's the midwest, where everything is wholesome and good."
This problem is not just limited to one midwestern city. School districts all over the nation have been under financial pressure, even before this economic crisis. We are entering into a self-perpetuating downward spiral. The economy is down, so we cut back on education, which means we are producing a lower quality work force, which will cause the economy to suffer even more, and so it goes...
Investing in education now means investing in the future welfare of our nation. We make temporary cut backs until the budget crises pass, but the effects will be felt for years, for entire generations.
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