Our School, Our Kids, Our Responsibility! Weve all seen the signs planted in yards, at local businesses, and even on cars, with hopes voters will be convinced to vote yes on Measure 3A next week. After reading months of letters to the editor from parents, teachers, administrators, and various community members, its evident that a fundamental voice is missing. In the midst of all the banter, have we forgotten Our Kids?
Ironically, when asked their opinions on the mill levy, 11 of the 12 Mancos High School students were unfamiliar with the topic that seems to have all of the adults around them in a storm of passionate controversy. However, when they understood the consequences of the measure not passing, they were adamant in their support of the measure. Sierra Wilson, an MHS sophomore, argues, Its a good thing and will be a positive change. Our school certainly needs all the help we can get.
As a Mancos High School student, I have experienced the results of four years of budget cuts that have been gnawing at the muscle of our educational experience. With the loss of federal dollars to our budget, additional cuts are now shaving bone. With the scarce amount of teachers we currently have, our schedule is tremendously limited. We are often forced to re-take classes, sign up for work studies, or even go home for the day. Andie Paschal, a sophomore, adds, We already had a lot of cuts last year and to cut even more would cut our educational experiences.
If the Mill Levy doesnt pass, painful cuts to our art and band programs would be devastatingly imminent, leaving our school in a sad state. I have always been proud of our excellent art program. The art teacher, Ms. Russell ensures that we all have the opportunity to express our individuality through art and share it with the community. For me, art class was a center of self discovery and growth. Furthermore, electives such as art and band develop crucial cognitive skills and abilities not achieved in other courses. Or, as Zeb Eden, a sophomore, states, These fundamental programs help us get through the day.
When I graduate this spring, I will not remember the classes I took; rather, the people who taught them. Due to the lowest pay scale in the area, most teachers dont stay in Mancos long. Many of our best teachers have moved on, primarily due to poor pay. With so much transition, our education is compromised. New teachers arent sure what students have been taught and, most importantly, students lose the continuity and security of established relationships.
I will never understand why the key people who are responsible for helping us create our future are paid so little. The community needs to be aware that families like mine with a teacher as the provider are considered impoverished and are eligible for Medicaid and monthly food distributions. Yet, teachers like my mom buy text books, Kleenex, and pencils for students. Critics say the Mill Levy dollars go to teachers, not students. Teachers are the foundation of our education. Teachers need to be able to focus on students, rather than whether or not they can make ends meet.
Teachers arent the only ones struggling. Almost everyone has been affected by the current economic climate. To ask for money at a time like this is certainly a lot to ask. However, the little increase in taxes the measure proposes is a colossal investment for the future. Education provides positive change, growth, and tolerance in our town, our country, and our world.
The thirteen years Ive been in public school, I have had no say in the choices that are made concerning my education. The law prevents me from voting yes in next weeks Election Day. I want so desperately to be heard on an issue that affects my peers and me directly.
Carry my voice with you next Tuesday and vote yes.