Young people are returning to school this month.
On Ocracoke they will return to a wonderfully designed school that replaced the former one destroyed five years ago by Hurricane Dorian.
With a year under its belt, the school, designed by architect Ben Cahoon, a graduate of Mattamuskeet High School, has drawn praise from the students and the teachers.
There were some late teacher resignations, and the district is working hard on finding replacements.
This is difficult since finding affordable housing here for teachers has been an ongoing challenge.
This shortage will be alleviated somewhat when the building that was formerly the island’s childcare center and which had been closed for several years, will be converted to apartments with teachers and school staff getting first dibs when it opens next year.
Everyone, whether they have children in school or not, should take a strong interest in the educational system.
Schools are vital to society as they provide foundational education, equipping people with knowledge and skill for the workforce that drives economic growth.
It bonds young people by bringing diverse groups together.
Schools can help people understand the importance of protecting the environment, can lower crime and give individuals a chance to play organized sports.
Against this backdrop, it comes down to supporting public schools.
Not everyone has the means to pay the high costs of private schools which have thrived in our society over the centuries.
Yet, there are politicians and policymakers who see public education as a failure and want to cut the budget for public education and allocate what are called school vouchers that subsidize private schools.
This has become an issue in Arizona which provided these subsidies creating somewhere around a $1 billion deficit. This budget crisis has drawn the attention of other states who are implementing or considering a similar process.
Republican legislators in North Carolina have shown they are using more taxpayer money to fund private school vouchers. The House and Senate separate budgets include $463.5 million in new funding for private school vouchers.
These private schools are not accountable despite receiving millions in taxpayer funds and do not have to report test scores or fulfill certain state requirements.
State governments should support public education.
In North Carolina, teachers should be paid more. The state is ranked 42 in salaries. Then there is the issue of teachers not getting the thanks they deserve and, unfortunately, they have been caught in the crossfire of the culture wars that are tearing our society apart.
Then there is the school supply drive recently launched by Gov. Roy Cooper.
It encourages people across the state to donate school supplies in support of public schools, students and teachers.
North Carolina teachers spend on average up to $750 out of their own pockets for classroom supplies each year.
“It’s unfortunate that teachers still have to dip into their own pockets to buy some of the school supplies for their classrooms and this is a way all of us can help,” Cooper said.
It’s been said that our schools are not failing, but rather we are failing our schools by not providing economic and social support.
Schools do best when there is community involvement.
That involvement can include volunteering, attending events and supporting fundraisers.
Think of any issue you care about, and healthy public education is at the root of its success.
No matter what type of education makes sense for your family, thriving public schools lift us all.
