We can make education job No. 1

By Vicki Balentine

SPECIAL TO THE ARIZONA DAILY STAR
As a child growing up in a small Arizona community, I was always so proud to brag that my grandmother was a teacher.
In those days, in our town, a teacher's status was huge. Teachers were highly valued, and they were constantly acknowledged for their efforts to make a difference in the lives of the students in their care. I know the same had to be true in Tucson as well.
As the years have gone by, however, I believe that we have lost some of our understanding of the critical value that teachers provide in our communities. Changes in our society and in the world have necessitated changes in the structures and foundations of our educational system, and an important and valuable conversation about improvement and accountability in our system has resulted.
Unfortunately, the complexity of this conversation and of the changes required can sometimes play out as blame and excuses, the result being an unintended devaluing of educators and the crucial work they do.
We have a wonderful opportunity to change this conversation in Tucson. The Tucson Regional Town Hall, in connection with the Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Pima County Business & Education Roundtable, will be holding a Community Conversation on K-12 Education on Oct. 1.
Business, non-profit and education leaders will join with people from across our community in an interactive event that promises to refocus our shared conversation — that education is vital to our community and that educators are valued in our community.
There are three traits shared by countries with highly performing school systems: They get the right people to become teachers; they develop the skills of those teachers; and they ensure that every child has the opportunity to benefit from skilled instruction. Bottom line: When teachers and education are truly valued, more of the right people will want to become teachers and children will excel. We can do this in Tucson and Pima County, but there are some questions we need to answer to guide our vision:
● Do we want to ensure that every person who desires an education can obtain one here?
● Should the basic needs of all children, including health and education, be met?
● Should we expand schooling, perhaps through an extended school day/year or through expansion of after-school programs?
● Do we want to attract and retain the best teachers possible within our community? Will we pay them accordingly?
● How can we ensure that our schools keep effective teachers, support teacher development and, yes, remove ineffective teachers?
● How can we assure equity for children across our broader community?
● In what ways can we build and fund quality schools, where teachers have smaller class sizes and adequate supplies?
These are some of the issues that the Oct. 1 Community Conversation will address.
These are not simple issues. They are complicated, and they need our community's focus and attention. I hope concerned members of the community will participate by attending this event.
Please join me in creating a Tucson that truly values teachers and education. Our teachers, our schools and ultimately our students can and will make all the difference in the future of Pima County. I know the people of Tucson can do this. Let's get started!