By Dr. Marlow Ediger, Professor Emeritus, North Newton

With higher standards to be met by pupils, it behooves the state of Kansas to adequately support public schools financially. With No Child Left Behind, pupils in grades three through eight must pass a mandated test in order to be promoted to the next higher grade level. Also students in high school need to pass an exit test in order to receive a diploma. Equally challenging is for a school to meet Adequate Yearly Progress. AYP standards rise each year and teachers need the tools and support personnel to meet requirements. Once schools are not funded adequately, class size, as one factor in the equation, will rise due to teacher layoffs. It is then more difficult to provide for each pupil in the classroom. Once the funding goes downhill, it becomes increasingly difficult to build up what has been minimized. The local school system needs continuous support financially as well as through encouragement. Now is not the time, nor is it ever, to shirk on pupils receiving the kind of education they deserve and must have to do well in the future. Workplace skills continually require a higher entry level of education, regardless of which kind or type of work will be performed. For example, when I read about the rapid changes in technology use required of teachers in whatever curriculum or academic area taught, it is difficult to keep up with the latest in computer innovations for teaching and learning. Let us all become vocal advocates for the funding necessary to develop, maintain, and improve public school education. These pupils represent our future.