I have read with interest the posts regarding paying for the education of some one else's children. Here are my thoughts. Many of the problems we encounter in society come from the lack of education. Poverty is the most notable. The effect of an impoverished segment of the community is greater costs in medical service, public safety, human services and other government services. These are known and proven facts. They are also intuitive. You may argue all you want that it is the parent's obligation to educate their children. I would agree that it is the parents responsibility to make sure their children are educated. It is also the parent's responsibility to make sure their children are taught the importance of living in community and how that impacts their lives. But I would argue that it serves society much greater if it makes sure all children are educated. I would argue that it is also beneficial to society to put in place norms to ensure that children are learning. In my opinion, this means an education that meets the needs of society. It does not mean requiring a child to sit in a school seat until they finish 12 years. It means making sure the child has the skills to become a contributing member of the community. I think its also important to the community to make sure that children are ready for school when its time to start first grade. Years ago the Minneapolis United Way began a program called Success by Six. The focus of this program was to make sure that children of low income families would be ready for school when they were old enough. Its philosophy was that in order to educate children they had to have had proper nutrition, social skills etc. in their early development years. From what I know this program was a success and became a model for other United Ways across the country. There are statistics out there that says for every public dollar spent on children six and younger saves the public $20 in corrections costs. I conclude that if you want to continue to drive a wedge between the most prosperous and least prosperous segments of the community, cut funding to education, Head Start and other early intervention programs. Mike Fratto Payne Phalen _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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