What Is Our Education Worth?

Today I went with hundreds of other students to the Rally for Education in our state capitol. There were students from UNR, UNLV, TMCC, GBC, and all the other schools of higher education in attendance. The background is that the cuts that the Governor wants to enact on higher learning are too much (google Nevada education cuts 2011 if you want to know more). Yes, I know that there is no money in the state budget, but cutting education (both higher and K-12, mind you) is not the answer if we want Nevada to prosper. Many good points were brought up by the students that testified in the Ways and Means committee hearing:

1.       Less education means higher unemployment. 
2.        Many of the programs that are set to be cut are important to people from other states. Our Agriculture Dept. gets calls from all over the country for help.
3.        We have very bright high school students here in Nevada that are planning to take their education and excellence to other states to go to college rather be faced with a mediocre education here. Most of them will not return, even though they would have probably stayed had they been able to get a college education in this state.
4.        One woman, a high school guidance counselor, said that she had 11 students at the rally (and she made them stand so that the committee could see them) and between the 11 students, they had earned 10 million in scholarships. They are from a depressed area, and they are on their way up. Unfortunately, they will not be bringing their neighborhoods up because they are taking that 10 million to other states whose schools are not in such jeopardy. 
5.        When education is cut, it means a rise in the need for prisons, police, and other safety personnel.
6.        Educated people do not want to move their families to places where their children will end up with a subpar education,
7.        The rural colleges help to staff the rural areas with trained personnel. The nurses and teachers trained at Great Basin College stay in the area and enhance the community. 
8. There was a 5th grader testifying from Las Vegas, pleading with the legislators to let him have a chance to go to college.

The future of Nevada is at stake. The future of education is at stake. Cutting as much funding as the Governor wants to make is going to make education only for the rich, the equality is fading from sight.

Gotta jet, going to class. If I think of more rant later I will post again.