Budget time is here again along with unfunded mandates and the MER (Minimum Education Requirements) — as well as people saying you can never spend enough money on education. Paul Harvey once stated, “It’s not the amount of money poured into the educational system that determines the success of the educational system, but rather the involvement of the parent.”
We’ve placed the responsibility of education, as well as civic and social behaviors, into the hands of our teachers. The measure of success has become passing standardized tests, being a Blue Ribbon school and whether our children are moving on to college. Those things are important, but shouldn’t we also measure success by how productive and active each child becomes in our community, our government and in life, whether they go to college or not?
Education should be a team effort between parents, the professionals and society. If we’re not succeeding at this, then perhaps it is time to stop spending money and replace it with more time and effort on everyone’s part. After all, didn’t someone say time is money?
CRAIG E. STAEBNER
Franklin
