The Great Divide: Reaction School System Lacks Citizen Support Status Quo Will Only Lead To Spokane’s Downfall

There are some differences between the west side and east side of our state that we would do well to attend to if we want Spokane to become a better community. One has to do with our economic base, another with how we see our role as citizens in a democracy.

Spokane’s numerous jobs are low-wage jobs. Parents with low-paying jobs have a particular struggle making ends meet. Often, both parents feel they have to work; frequently one or both seeks a second job. These situations reduce the time parents have to spend with their children. Families in low-wage jobs can’t afford enrichment activities and adequate child care. These children are much more likely to come to school under-prepared. They face greater struggles and higher rates of failure throughout their school lives.

The trend is clear: Schools will be required to direct more of their fixed revenue toward the needier situations. The overall standard of quality of education will be threatened.

More high-wage jobs would allow families to move beyond this life struggle. Parents could spend more time with their children, they would have the resources for enriching experiences, and they would have the time to support their children’s learning. We must work to raise the standards of learning and to attract high-wage jobs.

Unlike Seattle, Spokane struggles for support from citizens on improvement initiatives. People here may think we don’t want to grow because that will bring the ills of a large city. They may think we should stay as we are. In fact, we can’t stay the same: we are either going to get better or we are going to get worse.

For our community to thrive, more people must grasp the larger picture of our interconnected system. Citizens must make it their paramount duty to understand our community from a global, holistic perspective. Educated citizens take into account the diversity of perspectives and needs. They search for common ground and the common good so that they attend to the dynamic interrelatedness of the community. Democracy, then, must become a way of life for all of us, a way of working through the conflicts, inconsistencies and differences in our positions in order to provide for a better future for all.

Public education and democracy are inextricably linked. Schools should provide students with foundations in what it means to be a citizen, an education emphasizing the responsibilities as well as the rights of citizenship. Education and democracy as a way of life mean learning how to be responsible stewards of our future.

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MEMO: Bill Mester is superintendent of the Mead School District.