CAPE RESIDENTS OWE IT TO THEMSELVES TO MAKE SCHOOLS A TOP PRIORITY

I've been hearing that the Cape Girardeau School District is asking the town for more money, and, as usual, residents are complaining.

I graduated from Central High School two years ago and have supported every measure while I was there that would have given my school, and the rest of the district, a little more money. Ironically, this will be the first school issue I will be allowed to vote in, as most students have no say in the outcome of whether their classroom will be an adequate learning environment.

As the largest city in about a 100-mile radius, Cape Girardeau should be setting the standards for education in our area. However, this is not the case. Teacher salaries are actually below some neighboring smaller districts. This forces the district to accept younger, less experienced teachers and drives many good teachers to work in areas outside the city limits. As far as building standards, Blanchard Elementary School should be only the first step of many. Central may be only 50 years old, but with rapid growth and new technological advances (not to mention its lack of air conditioning), we should be pushing for a new building that will be years ahead of its time, not behind. I hear people saying that those are the conditions they had when they went to school. Well, guess what. It is 2000, not 1950. When children are forced to attend class in a stairwell or a remodeled closet, education is anything but first rate.

I am a sophomore at the University of Missouri-Columbia. As I've spent more time here getting to know residents, reading the papers and watching the news, I get the feeling that this town really supports its children and their education. Rock Bridge High School is an excellent example. Its students are nationally recognized, and the school has made technological advances that will accommodate future students and possible problems. Visit such schools as the Rockwood District in Eureka, Mo., and you'll see a prime example. Lafayette High School looks like a mall. When I visited there three years ago, I was astounded by the space, technology and accommodations. To come home to a school that doesn't even have its own football field or decent computer lab is an embarrassment.

All I ask is that the residents of Cape Girardeau realize that we owe it to ourselves to put our schools as a top priority. It hurts to see so many people in my hometown protecting their wallets before their children's futures. Take it from an alumnus. Reworking and rebuilding the entire district is what our town needs. Have an open mind and decide what is really important.

Michael McCowan is a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia.