At the school board meeting tonight I noticed a retired teacher like myself. She got up and talked with passion about funds being redirected from students most immediate needs to new programs. I agreed with her and she and I probably agree on very little of a political nature.
Then again, maybe it's often the ideological lines that separate us and not really very much of our true beliefs. As we talked afterward it seemed that we agreed on many things- like the needs of struggling students and the need for textbooks even in the computer world.
I commend her passion. If this whole community could quit listening to special interests and just find a consensus on what we want in Helena for our schools we could make real changes in our Helena Schools. School truly should not be about politics-it should be about helping every child to read, write and do math.
Speaking of politics. Did you know that our school district spends $30,000.00 dollars on dues to associations that lobby at the legislature ? The School Boards Association and the Montana Quality Education Coalition are two lobbying groups that survive on taxpayer dollars. Their job is to fight for increases in school funding irregardless of the amount of money the state has to spend. Is it fair to force taxpayers to fund organizations that lobby and support candidates they don't support?
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