Instead, it could prove to be the catalyst we need to start building the educational systems necessary if our children are to survive and thrive. That is, if we are brave enough, and honest enough, to embrace innovative solutions.
It's easy to assume these crises are only about funding. Then we would devolve into standard Republicans and conservatives battling Democrats and liberals - the typical "slash-and-divert" vs. "pour, pour, more, more, more." But those approaches of the past just won't do.
It's time to address this as actual shareholders with equity in the returns on our children's education, because that's who we are. As citizens, we provide for the education of our city's children and are vested in how well we achieve that goal.
And as heretical as it may seem to some today, that goal doesn't end at the fence of the neighborhood or parish or private school. Sure, we can choose to continue hiding behind artificial barriers, yelping about "separation of church and state" or "tradition." Or we can consider already existing shared resources in the public-parochial realm - school buses and nurses, for example - and examine other ways where coordinated efforts could and should exist.
The fact is, as residents, we spend a dedicated amount of tax dollars to educate the city's children, no matter what school they attend. Even if parochial and private schools vanished, that funding pool would grow no larger, but the demand on resources would, exponentially. We need to streamline and maximize our investment so that our children and communities can reap the rewards.
That means coming to a joint table and focusing on what can work, rather than just gnashing our teeth in silos, complaining about what won't work. No matter how intractable this all seems, we can do this. Our children deserve our commitment.
