Everyone realizes that our local public schools are very important to our young people, and all the rest of us. We want to get youngsters off to a good start in life.
In addition to assuring personal safety for everyone, one of local government’s top priorities is education. The challenge is to have good schools and excellent teachers, while keeping tax rates reasonable.
But it is difficult to provide the quality of school opportunities we want. We seek to attract the most dedicated teachers, build and maintain good school buildings close to our children’s homes, and foster high student achievement. Our Hamilton County Board of Education has to try to get those desirable results from the dollars available.
Well, board members are facing a dollar “crunch.” They have to decide whether three schools should be closed to save $1 million. They say that is necessary because the County Commission is setting aside for school construction $6 million that would otherwise go into schools’ operating budget. Other possible budget cuts include money for hiring extra teachers, and reductions in central office staff and health care costs.
The schools under consideration have not been named. But you can be sure there are three communities who love those schools and who want their children to continue to have the convenience of attending schools in their neighborhoods.