The election is over

The election is over and as a Democrat, I am overjoyed with the “Blue Wave of 2006” and the power shift in Congress and hope that it continues into the White House. As for my own fortunes, I take it as a valuable learning experience.

I stood up for the school committee because of the closure of my daughter’s elementary school, Horton. Small community based neighborhood schools with small classes is what we need, not what we rid ourselves of. According to the US Department of Education, 90 percent of the fastest growing career fields in America require a college degree and yet less than 30 percent of the working population has the requirement. We are in a new age, a post-industrial nation in a global marketplace. College education is no longer a luxury for the privileged but a necessity for the masses. This is not liberal rhetoric but the facts as I perceive them to be.

The last great social injustice left in America is the disparity between rich and poor and this disparity is growing ever wider in our globalized reality. The economic strain of energy, healthcare and education is deteriorating the nation’s middle class. For America to compete, she must have a very well educated work force capable of exploiting future opportunities. It is our responsibility to ensure that all of the next generation is prepared in spite of socioeconomic backgrounds.

Our children need smaller classes in smaller schools intrinsically bonded to its surrounding communities for the necessary nurturing, followed by a secondary system that is preparatory for further continuation, and easier access to post secondary education. Every child entering the ninth grade today should be expected to reach a college degree and not be hampered with heavy debt because of it. Sadly, simply staying in school and acquiring a high school diploma just does not cut it anymore.

The school committee is responsible for the administration, maintenance, care, staffing and supplying of our schools. It is also the burden of the committee members to champion its schools and lobby funds from the state and federal government as well as seeking private grants. They must also shift the burden away from the local property tax payers because they will revolt if not. I encourage all, not just parents, to pay attention and be involved in our education system. Go to the meetings, write letters to editors, agitate and most of all, run for committee seats. There were three uncontested seats this year; any time that any elected office is unchallenged is unhealthy for a democracy.

Running for office is not difficult. It may seem like a daunting task but once you get into it, you realize that it is quite an easy thing to do. For an office like school committee, you need about $500 to purchase signs and cards and 2,500 voters to agree with you. Let us not shirk our responsibilities to our children and our great country.

Andre Araujo