Today….
Education is an economic driver! A community’s schools determine where families live. They determine what skills and expertise parents bring to a community – providing services we ALL depend upon.

Education empowers individuals and is the key to someone’s independence and success in life.

How fortunate we are!
In America all children have access to an education. In Salida the educational opportunities are exceptional:
- preschool programs at the Salida School District Early Childhood Center that continually have waiting lists because of the great educational services they provide
- Longfellow Elementary School that offers a nurturing and supportive environment that is seeing continuous great results – especially in reading, writing, and science
- Salida Middle School provides an energetic and supportive place for 5th – 8th graders to explore. Students recently celebrated their placement in a history fair competition. Other students participated in the “We the People” civics program. Students are currently preparing for Science Fair.
- Salida High School is vibrant and allows students to go deeper into their education. Each department is strong, providing creative and collaborative opportunities in math, physics, literature, art, music, journalism, and more. We are also excited about the Advanced Placement classes being offered.
- Our district offers three alternative learning programs: Strawberry Door Kindergarten, Crest Academy (serving 4th – 8th graders), and Horizon’s Exploratory Academy for 9th-12th grade students. These important programs offer optional educational experiences to students. Crest and Horizons provide more autonomy and in-depth exploration of educational interests. The programs are important additions to our schools.

We are also fortunate to have amazing community support including parents, residents, businesses, and the support of our local municipalities and county commissioners. Thank you all!

We look forward to continued community interest and involvement as we pursue a new superintendent, address financial challenges, and work towards new buildings with better learning environments for our children.

Our Founding Fathers would be proud!

And I might add I haven’t seen anything here singing the praises of S.O.S.S., so I will. Please visit their Website at http://salida.com/soss/

If we need to improve education in our city then, the number one priory has to be the retention and decent pay of our good teachers. My daughter spends more time with her teachers and coaches then she does at home. We have many outstanding teachers and coaches, who are making a difference in our sons and daughters lives. Why not pay the good ones a fair salary?

Teachers make a difference, buildings do not. I would not fight a tax increase if the money went to increase teacher pay. Last election we did vote to give teachers a raise and did not vote to build new schools. From what I understand we gave the teachers the maximum pay raise we could by law. They are still some of the lowest paid teachers in the state. I would like to vote them another raise during the next election. I think the message from the election was clear. I am on a limited budget, so when my taxes increase, I want the money to go to the people who make the difference, not to a new building. I want my daughter to know that people make a difference not things. I would much rather have my daughter wear a jacket in class (because it is cold) and have a well paid teacher, then an inexperienced, over worked, underpaid teacher in a new school.

The article says, “good paying job demands high level schooling.” Does anyone really think the biggest obstacle to higher education is the lack of quality education provided by the Salida schools? In my experience, the biggest obstacle for my son and daughter to continue on to a high level of schooling is the high tuition at our state colleges and universities. My son pays more than $14,000 a year to attend Mesa State Collage. In a little over a year from now my daughter’s biggest hurdle to college will be the price tag, not her Salida high school education.

I really do not think we are apathetic about our schools. We might just not agree on the best way to spend our tax dollars or the best way to educate our children. I think our schools should focus on education, learning and become good citizens. This will give them the best chance to have a quality life. I cringe when I hear or read statements like, “…to shine brighter than the rest…” Do we want to look good or educate our kids?

I am thankful for the great education and opportunities my daughter is receiving here in Salida. These opportunities would not be possible with out the dedicated and selfless professionals that teach and coach her. Any discussion on improving education should centre around retaining and paying our good teachers and coaches.

Jack, I also appreciate your concerns. The Ritter administration had every intention to start beating back the negative ramifications caused by the Gallagher amendment and TABOR. They made a conscious effort to not take on that fight because of the immediate issues they have been faced with and the probability of failure. Our taxation system is unfair. In my lifetime every time a tax saving issue comes up there are unattended consequences that ultimately make things worse. I have voiced my desire to see education advocates statewide start the fight to repeal Gallagher.

In the meantime, I do not want to see Salida sink. Education is the best economic development tool I know. Like any investment there will be the cost. And yes the cost will be unfairly distributed. I think it is short sighted to stop any movement forward while we wait for fairness to prevail in what is a broken tax system.

Thanks for everyone’s insights. Keep them coming.
Chuck

I appreciate Mayor Rose bringing up the issue of our local education. Many of our nation’s principles are based on the notion of being able to “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” (as we say in the west). The higher the quality of education, the better the student’s ability to provide for themselves (regardless of what life has dealt them outside of school). Public education is the great equalizer.

Based on the above posts, I feel the need to clear up a few things:
-Education (being publicly funded) in some way or another needs voter approval in order to increase funds. Unlike business, as our operating costs are increased, we cannot simply increase the cost of our services (we have to go to the taxpayers for that increase).
I would challenge anyone to research what was spent on a year of his or her own education and then adjust for inflation (I think they would be surprised at how schools (especially in Salida) are able to do so much more with so much less than we had as students.)
If you are feeling like there is a school issue on every ballot and this is troublesome…stand up! Let your representatives know that they need to fund schools in a manner that doesn’t force districts to make up the difference in their funding through local property taxes.

-Many teachers in the Salida School District do not own a home and trust me that it can be a struggle to do so. (Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to be able to make this happen for myself).

-Many teachers in the Salida School District (like other professions) are forced to take second jobs to make ends meet. This is life in a recession. It affects us all. Please don’t imply that teachers are somehow living high on the hog. We’re not. I make over $20,000 dollars less than the national average of someone else with my education level. I make less than the national average for teachers. I make less than the state average for teachers. I’m not complaining, I chose this. However, please don’t imply that we have some sort of lavish lifestyle or lavish benefits. We don’t. Anyone who knows a teacher can attest to that.

-Ironically, as the issue of our benefits comes up, we are currently (at the district level) discussing how to deal with the cost of our rising benefits. Solutions on the table include: once again raising our deductable, dropping the vision portion of our benefits, dropping the dental portion of our benefits, or both.

Education is the most important commodity in the world today. Individually, on a community basis and nationally. As you say, it is the best investment that can be made right now in our area to further economic development. Improving our schools by building better facilities and increasing teacher pay locally will help in bringing additional good paying jobs to our area. Economic development will help everyone in the community. We can spend all the money we want bringing employers here to show off the area, but the thing that will seal the deal is a world class education system turning out employees who are prepared to work in the modern workplace.

Studies have consistently shown that increases in education bring increases in income for individuals over their lifetimes, as well as more job stability, particularly in bad economic times. Increased education leads to lower crime rates, lower rates of recidivism, and a lower likelihood of dependence on AFDC. Further, there is a a negative relationship between education and out-of-wedlock births.

I want to second Chuck’s call for developing the best school system in the inner mountain region of Colorado. The benefits to everyone in the community would be enormous. The costs of improving our schools are less than the costs of not doing it. That fact doesn’t fit on a bumper sticker, nor are the costs of lower levels of education easy to measure, especially on a local level. However, talk to the teachers in town, the police, the folks at FYI, and most importantly the employers. I think you will find that as the world move to focus more on the information economy, the real cost of not moving forward and constantly improving our education system, is that rather than maintaining our position in the world, individually and nationally, by standing still we will be moving backwards.

Kudos to you Chuck, for being in the front of this most important issue in our town.

Bill

We are graced with amazing teachers in R 32 J. We have a auto mechanics program that consistently wins in the annual statewide contest. We have advanced placement teachers that are second to none. The perfect illustration of the practical application and the more abstract form of education meeting, is in the physics students and the auto mechanic students working together in the green car project. Next time you are in Held Auditorium look at the banners that not only celebrate the Salida sports achievements but also the various academic competitions our schools have won over the years.

America was built on the people working hard for the betterment of themselves and their community. The balance between me and we must be found again. Getting behind education is a perfect example of what one citizen can do to support the the larger community. The result will not be perfect. But, not trying will be devastating. I will repeat that education of all types is, in my mind, the most positive economic development engine available to our area. It could be the tide that lifts all boats.

I want the teachers of our children to be paid more closely to their value to our society. There will always be “‘crats” in all phases of life. I hope we can look beyond them and reward those who have the drive, smarts and calling to create the next generation of leaders.

Life is tough for a lot of us right now. I hope we will not demand that our children must live with the same handicaps the poorly educated now face.

Thanks to all for your comments.
Chuck