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Education funding will aid economy
The Republican, Editorial, March 12, 2008

With a high school graduation rate of only 53.8 percent in Springfield, the region's employers have a right to be worried about where they will find skilled workers for jobs in what has increasingly become a knowledge-based economy.

The alarmingly low graduation rate in the region's largest city is a troubling sign for the entire Western Massachusetts economy and, if the trend continues, the future is not particularly bright. Without a stronger educational system, where will the region's future nurses, accountants, teachers and computer savvy technicians come from? And who would want to move to such a place?

Western Massachusetts education advocates believe it's possible to reverse the current trend with a number of educational programs aimed at preschoolers as well as adult learners.

Members of the local group Building a Better Workforce Coalition met with state legislators in Springfield last week to lobby for $109.5 million worth of funding across the state for the educational initiatives - starting with money to help the youngest citizens of the commonwealth get up to speed when they enter grade school.

Programs for adults including English as a second language are also needed to ensure that the region's workforce is up to the challenges posed by a global economy. The $109.5 million sought is a small sum considering the cost of not funding these important initiatives - increased poverty, rising crime and an ill-equipped workforce.

The funding request includes $50 million for universal pre-kindergarten, which would be a $42.8 million increase compared with this year's funding. The balance of the funding would go to youth development and after-school activities, school-to-career options and adult basic education.

We applaud members of the coalition for their dedication to this cause. The cost of an illiterate workforce is a cost the commonwealth can't afford to shoulder.

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