How much is education worth to you?

I was chatting with my husband the other day (a rare, but nice time in which there were absolutely NO child-type interruptions), and the topic of school fund-raisers came up. He was telling me about a friend who had attended the school fundraiser for his son, and went home absolutely livid (and broke). Apparently, the fundraiser was an auction - and the people attending were skin-flints of the highest order. When a bid was placed on an item, the next bid would be higher by...get this...5 cents. That's right - a measly nickel. He was so aggravated that these people were totally in it for a bargain, and not for how they could help the school...even 1 dollar would have been better, and completely affordable for all in the room. In addition, they were totally short-changing the school by not even offering a decent price for many of the items. For example, a white-water rafting trip for 4 (a value of AT LEAST $240 - minimum) went for $100. Yep - not even half of what the trip was actually worth. Now, I realize that any money raised by the school is better than what they had before, but still...are people really that cheap?!?

Then I started thinking about it a little bit more, and it dawned on me that this little auction actually demonstrates one of the larger problems within the realm of education. I can hear the skepticism floating on the airwaves as people try and compare the auction of one little school with the overall educational system, so let me explain. As a nation, we want the best education for our children. We want them to have PE every day, along with music, art and languages. We want them to have the absolute best teachers, administration and buildings. We want updated buses, computers and books. Small classes are, of course, a must. Right? These are all things that we look for in a good school?

The problem is, we want all of this for our children, and yet we are unwilling to put our money where our mouths are. We have Morton's Steakhouse tastes with a McDonald's budget. We want the absolute best teachers - but we don't want to pay decent salaries, or agree to cost-of-living increases. We want small class sizes, but we don't want to pay for extra teachers. We want music and art, but they get cut first when there is a budget issue (and isn't there ALWAYS a budget issue?!?). We want updated books, computers and buildings - but refuse to pass the budgets necessary. And of course, the ultimate irony - when the state budget has issues, it's a guarantee that education (including college) will be within the top 3 items to be cut first. Basically, we want first-class white-water rafting trips, but we can only bring ourselves to raise the current bid by a measly 5 cents.

The worst part is, we're not just hurting our children. I mean, sure - there's enough of that to go around. Kids are graduating high school without the basic knowledge to compete in college (if they get that far). Our country's math and science scores are lagging behind many other countries, giving those children clear advantages in our high-tech global world. But it's not just them - it is our country as a whole that is suffering. Rather than being a country that develops and innovates, we have become a country that imports. Rather than leading the way in so many technologies, we are following the lead of others. We are undermining our "Superpower" status in so many ways, and I guarantee that education is one of the most important. How are these children supposed to stay competitive if they can barely read?

The answer is not No Child Left Behind - this program that guarantees MORE children left behind than before. It's not longer school days and longer years. The answer is to put our money where our mouths are - to fund the programs that children need. Get rid of the ridiculous pet projects of senators and governors. Use that money to make sure our children can help our nation become great again. And if that means starting small, by bidding a decent price at a school fundraiser, then get out your checkbooks and get started - and encourage everyone else to do the same. Then, pat yourself on the back, gather a group of friends and start working your way up the food chain to continue helping our children.

By helping our children, you can help the future of all of us. And if you get a white-water rafting trip out of the deal - so much the better.