My Turn: The time demand bold action for schools

By Terry Julian

We are living in extraordinary times. We are preparing students for jobs that don’t yet exist. The top 10 in-demand jobs in 2010 did not exist in 2004. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that today’s learner will have 10-14 jobs ... by age 38.

Today, the number of text messages sent daily exceeds the total population of the planet. India has more honors students than America has kids.

China will soon become the No. 1 English-speaking country in the world (based on population), and by 2013 (not far away) a supercomputer will be built that exceeds the capabilities of the human brain. (Information researched by Karl Fisch, Scott McLeod and Jeff Brenman for Sony Corp.).

Students of the “point and click” generation (those born between 1982 and 2002) have spent countless hours surfing My Space and Facebook and are now being educated in our local high schools. Administrators and faculty need to consider directing special attention to helping the students who have the talent and ability to take and pass college courses while in high school, thus providing a great reduction to the cost of a college education for the student.

In addition, the more of these transferable college courses that can be given at a local high school, the more overcrowding relief could be provided to our local community college.

All of the above is here or coming. Rowan County is now about to spend perhaps $8 million or more on a central office for the school system. I agree that there is a great need for this, and certainly a savings will be gained in doing it. However, we must also consider our children and their needs.

As an alternate plan to the several proposals that have already been presented, I propose the following:

I would suggest that North Rowan High become a school for students in grades 10-12. Each student accepted must maintain a specific grade level and/or a talent level to be accepted and to earn college credits. I submit that the population of the North Rowan Preparatory High School be limited to about 375 students. This would allow more than enough space to provide a central office on the campus.

I graduated from North Rowan High School in 1964. The total school population for the original campus during those years was approximately 400. Since then, various additions have been made that allowed the North High population to expand over time. Money was provided through county approved bonds. We now, and for the last several years, have had a negative growth level for the high school which has resulted in placing it in the lowest classification for school population (1A).

Bold action by our school board and political leaders will be needed to make this happen. There would be a plus in having our county administors at the site of this preparatory high school. They could be on site of a model school that would provide a showcase for technology as well as academics. The “naysayers” will be out in force, yet when you consider which plan could be best for the future of our children and county tax payers, you cannot exclude this proposal.

In closing, there are about 8,000,000 reasons the school board and county commissioners should consider this option as a way to make our county schools stronger and not spend tax money unnecessarily.

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Terry Julian lives in Faith.