Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream. His dream turned into one of the most famous speeches to address inequality in our country. His speech represented how optimistic he was.
I, however, am not such an optimist … I have nightmares.
I had a nightmare that our community gave up on our schools. In my nightmare, people were so frustrated with government and taxes they were no longer willing to support their local governments and school districts.
As a result, parents began to put their children into private schools or “choiced” their children into schools that were out of their communities.
Without students who come from good homes with moral standards, the behaviors of the students that remained became worse and worse.
Good teachers became frustrated and moved away, leaving our children with teachers who were angry, burnt out or doing the bare minimum.
Without community support, schools became overcrowded. There wasn’t money available to build new schools.
As the schools deteriorated, students believed nobody cares, so why should they care. Students had no investment or ownership.
I had a nightmare that the high school I attended as a young man was falling apart.
Without funding from the community, programs such as art, band, agriculture, career training and computer science all went away. A once thriving, creative and empowering place became a graveyard.
I had a nightmare.
As I awoke from my nightmare, I realized that many of my fears had already come true. We have schools that are over-crowded. Many local parents aren’t willing to send their children to schools in our district, opting to have them attend Medical Lake, Liberty or Gonzaga Prep.
Many students feel disenfranchised, longing for a high school in Airway Heights.
We see Cheney High School frequently vandalized – so bad years ago that staff were locking students out of the bathrooms.
If we don’t support our schools, my other fears will likely come true as well.
Without funding for new schools, we will eventually see programs such as band, art, ag/mechanics, career training and computer technology will all go away. We will see teachers leave. We will struggle to entice the best for our students.
Cheney School District has needed another high school in Airway Heights for a long time. The recent community-based committee took time to look at what is the most critical need for the district and identified that a grade school is the most imminent need.
I believe that we truly need both.
If Cheney School District is going to provide the best for students in Airway Heights, West Terrace, Eagle Ridge, Cheney and Tyler, we need to meet their needs, something we have been neglecting for at least 10 years.
Based on school district numbers, funding both would cost tax payers approximately $75/month. While this is a lot of money over the course of a year, it is an investment in our children, community, and will ultimately add value to our homes/community over time.
— Zachary Zorrozua is a former Cheney School Board member and lifelong area resident. Email him at [email protected].
Reader Comments(0)