Life Elevated..and Educated

In the small Colorado town where I grew up every two years the roads, both paved and dirt, would receive a new paint job..the yellow line down the center of the road. My mother would comment, “Must be election year, they are out to impress us once again.” (Full disclosure: This was a predominately Republican town in a county of Democrats; but the local county commissioner needed the town’s votes to stay in office.)
My mother was perhaps a little cynical in her comment, but it certainly comes back to me today, as the election nears and the same old platitudes and attitudes here in Utah surface from our politicians. It is frustrating, as a parent, grandparent and taxpayer, to hear “family values” and “shared values” mentioned from both sides of the spectrum, when the politicians have little or no interest in the family values of the voters, other than as a catch phrase to get elected. Were the politicians really interested in “family values” they would enforce existing laws and if needed legislate to allow our public schools to flourish, even to the drastic action of funding education first instead of last in the legislative sessions. School zone length would be increased to provide better protection for our children going and coming to schools. Bussing, K through12, would be increased, rather than decreased; this would keep our children safer and reduce traffic and air pollution at schools. Public schools would have the resources needed to attract and keep good teachers; and our class sizes would be legislated down to a workable number, perhaps in the low 20’s, with all students counted. Monies would be provided for aides in classrooms, and special needs students would have sufficient teachers and resources to provide the best education and future as possible. Our requirements for graduation would be raised to 22 or 24 core units, with an emphasis placed on the sciences, math, and reading. Advanced placement and college prep classes would be expanded to hold the number of students qualified and desiring to attend. Vending machines would be pulled from the school cafeterias, and a greater focus on physical education and proper diets would become evident. School clubs that promoted diversity, co-operation and understanding would be encouraged. Anti-bias and anti-bullying would be legislated, and enforced; before and after school programs to assist at-risk students would be enlarged to cover the effects of the current recession and high unemployment.
These are changes that Governors can promote, but it is the Legislature that must take the reins and drive this wagon-load of ideas into reality; which would require our legislators to take some hard, drastic measures. They would have to raise taxes, and or lower the dependant exemption, in order to pay for these programs. Unfortunately, in their short-sided view, getting elected or re-elected is more important to our legislators than our children’s future, more important than our states future and our economic growth. In the long view, however, the much-needed improvement in education as outlined above would make it easier for our existing employers to find qualified employees and make Utah a better place for employers to locate; these changes would elevate our life-style to make Utah a more desirable place to raise a family. This would result in a higher tax base for our state to operate with, and our legislators could then look back and say, “See, we took the hard steps and now we as a state are better off!” That would be something positive to lay before the voters come election time.