We all want
the best for our kids. I think that is a given.
But some people will not help kids because they are afraid of the future.
There are people
in this world whose only apparent job is
to make people afraid. There are people that will tell you that all teachers,
all policemen, all judges, all people of authority and many established
institutions are crooked and not worthy
of our help and support. They seem intent on making you want to trust no one, not even yourself.
It’s hard to
keep faith living in such a world. I struggle with my faith sometimes. I struggle
in this world to keep my head above water. But I do know that when I feel
fear and confusion, I cannot do my best to see the better angels in people. And
I want to travel my life’s path feeling that I've done all I can to help others
along the way, to try & do good while I’m here.
I want to do well by our kids. I think most people do. But
people can get sidetracked by fear and confusion, and forget that lessons
learned in childhood can last a lifetime. I want kids to learn lessons in
schools that will help them become confident, open-minded, heartfelt adults
that can think and reason and fend for themselves in a world that seems intent
on blinding them to the beauty that is out there. I believe that our community needs to band
together and help our school system - to help our kids learn the good lessons
that school can provide - by giving them a safe environment for learning. That’s
why I’ve decided to vote in favor of the 2015 Hastings Area Schools Bond
Proposal on May 5th.
I have written before about the volunteer work I do at
the schools. I walk down the hallways and see rooms that are 40+ years worn. I
have seen cracked plumbing, falling plaster, broken ceiling tiles, broken floor
tiles, electrical systems loose and overloaded; choir risers collapse. I have been
in classrooms smelling of septic and dead animals. The heating systems are overworked and in dire
need of repair. School entrance security
is practically non-existent, and needs
to be secured to 2015, not 1955, standards.
For decades, the school system has had award-winning
musical programs -the envy of schools across the region - and we play our
concerts in the gym and our plays and musicals in an 80-year-old auditorium. A Fine Arts Center would finally give these
programs the venue they so richly deserve. With this, and the upgrades to the
schools, we would be able to hold band and vocal district competitions, and
serve as a prime venue for events such as the Jazz Festival and Summer fest concerts. I have played in some of the theaters in
other area schools that have beautiful theaters. Those communities reap incredible
benefits hosting concerts and community events. One credible benefit is that
good schools will attract good families, and good families can help make good
communities.
If you haven’t
really looked at our schools in awhile, you might not understand the depth of
our need. Maybe you think that in this
age of entitlement, kids just don’t deserve good schools – they should be happy
with what they have. Maybe you feel you pay enough already.
One of the hardest things to do is to have faith in the
future, when there are so many voices out there enticing us to be cynical and
sour.
That’s why we need to lift up the kids. They carry our
hopes and aspirations, our faith in the future. We now have an opportunity to help them. They don’t need the world on a silver platter,
but they do need safe, modern schools, so in that fleeting childhood-to-young-adulthood
time, they will have a chance to do good. Let’s give them the best chance to
succeed – the same kind of chance we were given.
I’m voting for the May 5th millage to improve our schools
and help our kids. I have faith in the future.
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