Consolidation Plan Appropriate |
table of contents |
By Brooke Davis
Have public schools robbed Arkansans of the opportunity of an education equivalent
to that of other states? Many students come to college totally unprepared for
the experience and are used to getting by without opening a book. They' re now
scurrying around trying to learn and learn how to study at the same time. After 30 years and $20 billion of taxpayer investments, Arkansas has remained a state at risk educationally, constantly competing with Mississippi for the lowest academic performance of the 50 states. Gov. Mike Huckabee has addressed this overdue issue head on and should be applauded for stepping up to improve the quality of the Arkansas education.
Huckabee's plan to consolidate school districts is necessary to ensure an equal education for all students. Those who oppose the plan are not looking out for the best interest of the state or the children.
It is imperative that personal feelings are put aside when discussing such a difficult, emotionally charged issue. These feelings are a debate of preferences versus necessity.
Though the consolidation opposition has agreeable arguments, the disagreements are merely excuses to justify the position. Some understandable concerns include the loss of jobs, loss of community, loss of traditions and identities and most importantly, the abolishment of a personal education. These redundant arguments reflect an unknowledgeable or possibly anti-liberal majority.
The bottom line is that public support is not necessary to see this plan through. As a result of the Lake View case decision, consolidation is inevitable for some schools. Unfortunately, school officials in higher authoritative positions are at a higher risk of losing their jobs.
As distressful as unemployment is to the economy, the consolidation would definitely reap more rewards than losses. Arkansas would be able to pay for the best educators at competitive salaries. It is time to raise Arkansas standards and demand only the best education in our state.
Many people, when asked, will say that the Atlantic Ocean
(Caribbean Sea) is at the eastern end of the Panama canal and that the Pacific
Ocean is at the western end of the canal. Take a look at a map. If you enter
the canal from the Atlantic side, you enter in the western most point and
leave in the eastern end of the canal-the Pacific side.
Ninety-nine percent of all life forms that ever lived on
the Earth are extinct.
The statistics prove that, overall, Arkansas school systems have failed their academic obligations even with community support and funding. According to a position paper prepared by the Murphy Commission Education Workgroup, Arkansas is consistently below the national academic average.
About 87 percent of Arkansas eighth graders are not proficient in math. Similarly, 87 percent of 11th graders failed the math section of the state's exit exam. In addition to the devastatingly low math scores, 80 percent of Arkansas fourth graders are not proficient in reading.
This crisis is apparent even at the college level. The average ACT score for Arkansas is only 20.2. This is impacting Arkansas colleges. The remediation rate for entering students is 59.2 percent. Astonishingly, 48 percent of these students enter college in the year after high school.
The feared loss of a personal education is perhaps the most on-target concern presented, but realistically this environment is useless without the knowledgeable educators and appropriate teaching tools to offer equality among school systems.
Huckabee's consolidation plan only concerns grades 9 through 12. Besides, it's not like the number consolidated at the high school level would be too overly populated to provide an excellent educational experience.
This rural attitude is definitely causing Arkansans to fall behind in proper education and advancement. Even if the legislature fails to enact significant consolidation, Huckabee feels strongly enough that he plans to continue his efforts by placing the plan on the ballot next year.
Huckabee has taken it upon himself to correct a problem in the educational system that generations before have failed. The educational budget has been a pressing issue for Huckabee.
Citizens cannot expect to receive state scholarships if they want the government to invest large amounts of money into several schools. The funding just is not feasible. Despite the personal sacrifices required by Huckabee s plan, the reality of its necessity prevails.
Before striking down this proposal, ask yourself, Don t we want more for our children or at least for our tax dollars?
World War I killed twenty-one million people in four years; the great swine
flu epidemic killed the same in four months. Almost eighty percent of American
causalities in the First World War came not from enemy fire, but from the flu.
In some units the mortality rate was as high as eighty percent.