Our Schools Need Our Money, Our Time, and Our Voices

(The following is a speech to be given on March 12 at the meeting of the Mecklenburg County (VA) Board of Supervisors)


I come to speak to you tonight in two capacities. First, I come as a parent. I have two sons who are in first grade and kindergarten at Clarksville Elementary. Like all parents, I want the best for my children, and a quality education is at the top of my list. But like many parents, I have taken that education for granted. I have assumed that my role is to get them dressed and to school on time, and to make sure they have done their homework. Beyond that, I have left it all in the hands of the teachers and school administrators.

And as far as I have seen, our teachers and administrators have been doing a great job. They deserve our thanks and praise. But it takes more than good teachers to have good schools. It takes a lot more.

First and foremost, it takes money. I am in full agreement that increasing tax revenues is a key part of the effort to save our schools. The crisis we are facing right now, and that is having an immediate impact on our children, is financial – and the only way to stop the bleeding is to improve funding.

But as I have talked with folks all around our community, I have come to realize that the budget crisis is only the symptom of a much deeper issue. Money alone is not going to solve our problems. As someone who is just starting to educate himself about the issues, I won’t try to say what the answers are. But I will offer this quote from someone who is an expert on school reform. His name is Eric Schwarz, and he says this in an article entitled “Calling All Citizens”:

“More than any new curriculum, new funding source, or new management plan, what students need is more attention, love, teaching, and guidance from more adults. I remain convinced that if we are truly committed to dramatic learning gains for all children, then education must stop being a spectator sport. To turn around our schools, we need to move millions of citizens off the sidelines and into the game as tutors, mentors, citizen teachers, PTA members, education activists, and philanthropists.”

In short, we need to do two things: be willing to pay a little more in property taxes, and get more involved. We need to volunteer, to come to meetings, to speak up, to write letters to the editor, and to encourage our neighbors and friends to get involved with us.

Now for the second capacity in which I come before you tonight. In addition to being a parent, I am also the pastor at Clarksville Presbyterian Church – which means I have a deep concern for the spiritual health and overall well-being of our community.

I preached about the importance of public education a few Sundays ago. In that sermon, I talked about how we are called to serve the “least of these,” to help those who are the most vulnerable and powerless. I can’t think of anyone in our community who is more vulnerable and more helpless than a child. I can’t think of anyone that we are more compelled to look out for than the children in our midst. If we don’t fight for their futures, who will?

So in my opinion, preserving the quality of our schools is not just a civil duty that we have as parents, citizens, teachers, administrators, and elected officials. I believe that this is our sacred duty. I urge the Board to approve the tax increases that are necessary, and I urge all of us to get involved and stay involved. Thank you.