Some Alaska leaders need schooling in the value of education

I have friends scattered around the world. My work has taken me to dozens of countries and to all seven continents — from big cities like Singapore and Amsterdam to remote outposts in Antarctica.

My friends in those countries all understand the importance of education. They know that education is critical to their economic success and to their quality of life. It's common in poor countries to see families proudly display their children's diplomas on the walls of their humble homes. They make big sacrifices to help their kids get an education. Even poor people understand the importance of education.

And I understand this because I came from a poor Pennsylvania coal mining clan. My parents were the first in their families to graduate from high school, but more education was out of reach for them. I was the first to get a college education because my parents were determined to make it happen. They saved to help me pay expenses, and they were willing to pay taxes so that other families' kids could be educated. Without a good education, my life would have been far more difficult.

But doesn't our great trove of natural resources immunize Alaska families from such concerns?

[Alaska Senate leaders back off plan to eliminate college scholarship program]

Not really. As the glory days of an oil-based economy begin to fade, we will increasingly have to compete in the world economy on an equal footing with other states and other nations. Our success will depend, in large part, on the success of our education systems, our K-12 schools and the University of Alaska.

Do our leaders understand this? Apparently they don't. Judging from last year's budget decisions and budget proposals now being considered in Juneau, they have not yet recognized that education is critical to our state's future.

In fact, our K-12 education system is already in trouble. Alaska is not competitive in the community of developed nations. Among the 50 states, Alaska ranks almost last, and among developed nations, the United States is close to the bottom. If your school principal tells you that your kids' school is the best in Alaska, you should not be encouraged. It means only that the school is the best of the worst of the worst in the developed world.

[Stop playing games with the education of Alaska's children]

So K-12 schools need help — not budget cuts. Legislators who say K-12 can do "more with less money" are kidding us. Technology may help to improve our schools, but don't let legislators tell you it's a magic bullet. K-12 needs highly qualified, dedicated teachers with strong subject matter knowledge and a fierce determination to help students succeed. And parents must support their kids by helping them succeed. It will take more than just money to fix K-12, but cutting budgets isn't the answer.

The University of Alaska is also critical to our future. The success of its career and technical programs and academic programs will determine our workers' ability to compete in the world economy. And university research will impact the fate of our industries. Again, this seems to be lost on some of our state's leaders.

I don't dispute the need to streamline the university bureaucracy and make it more efficient, but draconian budget cuts like the ones that some legislators advocate can impair or cripple the university's mission-oriented side, its teaching and research, and damage Alaska's future prospects.

The state government's budget deficit will necessarily be resolved because its budget reserves are dwindling. But the impacts of bad education budget decisions will be with us for a long time. Professors and teachers who leave the state will be difficult to replace because word will spread about problems in Alaska, and quality substitutes won't want to join us.

The amazing economic and social progress of the United States has been due, in no small part, to a commitment to educate citizens from elementary school to graduate school. I hope that Alaskans are willing to make the same commitment and reject politicians' attempts to stay in office by promising not to raise taxes.

I'm willing to help Alaska kids get a good education by paying my share. Are you?

Tell your legislators.

Dr. Alex Hills is Distinguished Service Professor of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and lives in Palmer. He has written three books. The latest one is "Finding Alaska's Villages: And Connecting Them."

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