To the editor:

As we all navigate through difficult economic times, we all have hard decisions to make. I know I do. As I rework my household budget, some expenses go in the “can’t afford to” column while others go in the “can’t afford NOT to” column.

Always in the “can’t afford NOT to” column are my children. They need food and clothing. They need enriching activities to stimulate their minds and bodies. They need health care. We make sacrifices because our children have only one chance to be children. Their childhood experiences will determine what kind of adults they become. We can’t afford NOT to provide for their basic needs and beyond.

Public school finance accounts for over 50 percent of the state budget. It is no surprise that there are those who would make drastic cuts in school funding in order to balance the state budget. However, the children of Kansas have but ONE chance to be children. They have just one chance to learn the “three R’s” and just one chance to mature into the adults who, in the not-so-distant future, will run our state and our economy.

Whether you have children or not, today’s children will run tomorrow’s world. None of us can afford to let a slumping economy compromise the quality of public education. Not for one year, not for one hour, not for one minute.

Tell your legislators you value public education, and that you’re willing to pay for it. You can’t afford NOT to.

David Reber,
Lawrence