Published February 19, 2006 in the Hibbing Daily Tribune
By Aaron J. Brown
As I think about the current state of public education in northern Minnesota, I am reminded of the quote, “Those who don’t spend time planning for the future are doomed to worry about the present.”
A quick scan of the paper shows us a lot of worried people in this area when it comes to public education. The Greenway school district representing Coleraine and Bovey is in a financial crisis that might even threaten its viability. The St. Louis County Schools also face financial problems, all while moving closer to a contentious labor dispute. Things seem more secure in Hibbing, Chisholm and Nashwauk-Keewatin, but the reality is that those districts will have to make millions of dollars in cuts this year.
There’s an old saying, make drastic cuts in education budgets across the region once, shame on me – make those cuts every year for more than a decade, shame on you.
OK, that saying might be more long than old, but you get the point.
Cuts come in many forms, but lately one of the most common is in controlling labor costs through layoffs, reduced staff benefits and reduced academic offerings. When these things happen, administrators and board members often say the magic words, “Sometimes, these things are just necessary.” I’ll grant you that the money has to come from somewhere, and school bond referenda can only do so much. I wouldn’t expect tax increases to pay the difference either. Lately, however, I seldom hear the question, “what can we do to make schools better?”
Districts now must face hard truths. Declining enrollment will remain a cold reality through the foreseeable future. Buildings will have to close and some districts must consolidate. Health care costs need to be controlled. None of these things are ever popular, but if money is that bad then layoffs and program cuts will only delay the inevitable. That just hurts kids.
Some say that consolidating districts would hurt the individual towns involved. As a person who grew in Cherry, where the school is literally and metaphorically the heart of the community, I know how important this argument is. As much as possible, communities should keep their identities through their schools. But sometimes an action that seems painful leads to a more secure future for schools.
If you really care about your town, start caring about the kids in your town – not just generally, but specifically. This means advanced course offerings. This means smaller class sizes. This means opportunities to build confidence and teamwork outside of class through activities.
That stuff costs money, and money is in short supply. So why can’t we find a way to offer an advanced math class to kids from multiple towns? Why can’t we find a way to reduce class sizes in two or more buildings by investing in more teachers in a more efficient single building?
Are we going to live in a community where education gets a little worse every year, or one in which a Iron Range baby born tomorrow might achieve even more than the current generation? We only get to pick one of these options. Which will it be?
Can you think of any other way to improve the education of our children other than controlling administrative and facility costs (or the rising cost of employee and retiree health care, for that matter)? If you can, I’d like to hear it, and so would your school board. We must not let this generation’s indecision and parochialism stunt the future of the next generation.
For some districts, all I can say is consolidate, consolidate, consolidate. Do it now before the state makes you consolidate in 10 years or less.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune.