And are you satisfied with schools that just barely get the job done?
Very much so after looking at the budget problems in other states. Arkansas is a basically rural state with only 3 million people. Most schools are 50s style basic cinder block construction, not pretty, and just offer a core curriculum designed to get kids to read, write and compute basic math. Athletics are not over emphasized....just enough to give the kids something to do with their energy. Art classes, and choir and band, on the other hand, are mandated by the state constitution as part of the core curriculum and can't be cut or whittled away.
Relative to our size, we send a fair share of our kids to the best colleges and the state spawns perhaps a disproportionate share of leaders and players on the national stage. (relative to the population) For ex., Sam Walton, Bill Clinton, Mike Huckabee, Wesley Clark, and James DeWitt off the top of my head. This might imply that our schools do more than just get the job done. You don't have to have a fine facility to give kids the tools for long term learning and the character to do it.
I understand what you're saying though, and I used to wish we had fancier facilities, back when I was a full-fledged Democrat and didn't know that things have to eventually be paid for. Now, given the fiscal strength of Arkansas, I'm very pleased with the governance of this state. Things have been well balanced. |
