Every child is worth more than a penny
By Tracy Holaway and Chastity Clement of
Tharptown Elementary School
As everyone may know voting will take place on June 1.
Also, as everyone knows, there is one topic on the ballot that is surely being pushed by many within the county. This important topic is the one-cent sales tax increase, and as a teacher, I wanted to educate those who do not understand the aspects of this tax.
This tax increase will not only benefit the Franklin County School System, but also the Russellville City School System. It will be divided by what percent of students in the county each system serves and this falls to Russellville City School System receiving 42 percent and the Franklin County School System receiving 58 percent.
On an average this will only cost someone about 35 cents a day and about $120 a year, and since it was put into action in January it has already given the two school systems about $300,000 a piece.
The slogan as many already know for this campaign is “Every Child is Worth a Penny,” and as not only a teacher but as a parent myself I believe that every child is worth not just a penny but more.
As a teacher I can see the impact that not having this tax pass will have. Your child could be the one having to learn in a classroom that holds 30 or more children in it. I do not believe having classrooms with this many students is very conducive to your or my child’s learning.
I fear that if we do not have the funds to support our school systems then cuts will be made that will also impact the learning of our children.
Items like Title services, technology, and other educational support items could be lost. Our children deserve the best education they can get because they are the future of this county.
I, as a parent first and as a teacher second, want to ensure that this happens for not only my child but for every child. The choice to vote yes will be yours on June 1 so everyone needs to decide if they agree, “Every Child is Worth a Penny.”
The next Franklin County School System board meeting will be May 20 at East Franklin Junior High School. It will start at 5:15 p.m. so if anyone has further questions I urge you to attend.
