Right now in Warren County there is a huge battle about consolidating schools. We currently have 4 high schools and there are proposals to either move to two or three. If you know anything about small towns, this is a passionately debated issue that dominates our local paper. In response to this debate I write the following:
For those of you passionately trying to save school buildings, I commend you. However, let me suggest you are fighting the wrong battle. Schools are a symptom of a community at large. Consolidation is only an issue because enrollment and cost are issues. Enrollment is an issue because of population decrease. Population decrease is caused by lack of jobs and dare I say, a lack of love and vision for a region. Let me encourage all of us to put our energy into making Warren County a much more desirable place. Catch a vision for the county that looks beyond a 1976 mentality. Work hard to speak and think well about our area. (Would you want to move to a city where everyone was against everything?) Love our region. Love the people of our region. Do anything we can to encourage growth, businesses and development in Warren. And then watch the school situation take care of itself.
AMEN!=)
ReplyDeleteWow! Rick! That is a really profound paragraph! You are so right!
ReplyDeleteguess what Rick? i'm starting to fall in love with our region :)
ReplyDeleteWell put, Rick!
ReplyDeleteWell stated Rick! It has been my experience over the years of walking with the Lord (and life in general) that until we are content (and I don't see that as the same as being totally satisfied) with what we have or where we are, we can't move on to something better. And I think that applies to all parts of our lives. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteDolly Smith
PS: as a side note, I don't live in Warren County, but in McKean County and guess what....we have the very same issues:)