Rose Garden

 

From whence our kids education? 

 

 TL/DR: Schools should be creating citizens, not workers.

I'd like to clarify my position on vo-tech education. I'm for it. If the district has kids who want to learn to weld, then the district should hire a welder to teach a welding class, NOT let a group sprung from the brow of the Chamber decide that this or that business should have a hand in it in order to get the kind of proletariat that fits in their scheme of things.

The state cut most of the money that the district was using to offer vo-tech classes at Metro, AND dictated that there needed to be MORE pathways to careers (read as: labor) that would lead to certification. This was a typical way that the current administration finds ways to support business and capitol at the expense of the sort of education that the constitution of Arkansas declares to be the state's goal: "𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗹𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹, 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻"

It is true that the above passage from the constitution does not forbid vocational/technical classes, but the priorities should be getting students the tools they need to understand the issues of the day in order to make good decisions at the ballot box. Those tools should include techniques for evaluating public statements to determine if they are propaganda or truth; the mathematical ability to understand that they are not going to win the lottery; enough reading and writing to be able to communicate with people of all class all across the world; and a sense of history that would allow them to know when our constitutional and cultural norms are being attacked. And, if they learn some practical vocational skills along the way, great!

Make no mistake, when the Chamber of Commerce decides that what's keeping Little Rock from booming (and lining their pockets) is our kids not coming out of high school ready to go to work as labor for business, then they are going to try to get some measure of control over what is taught in schools and how it's done. They are no different than the Moms4Liberty deciding for everybody what students should be allowed to read. We should actively oppose these efforts to undermine the education of the students in Little Rock.

Thank you for your time and I hope that this will influence your decision on Election Day, March 3, 2026.