By Matt DeBoer

Special to the Salisbury Post

I am a tremendous believer in the power of education and the need for an excellent school system. Education is the driving force and often the difference maker when it comes to deciding on a place to live. As the son of a teacher and real estate agent, I have witnessed first-hand how they are forever linked.

My father taught 5th grade for over 30 years, my mother still works countless hours helping special needs children. My sister and stepsister are teachers in the public school system. My stepmother was an elementary teacher her entire career and my stepfather currently volunteers to transport children to-and-from school and was the guy that took all the yearbook photos. To say I grew up around educators is an understatement – I was immersed in public education.

I have always had a soft spot for teachers because I witnessed as a teacher’s son just how hard they worked, how little they were paid and how greatly under-appreciated their profession was and still is today. Yes, we send our children to a private school in town, but that is because we want them to have a Classical Christian-based education for their foundational years, and that is not something public schools can offer. Public or private, the school system is a driving factor in the success and future growth of our community.

When we left Salisbury a few years ago and looked for a place to live in South Charlotte, the fact that public schools in Union County were ranked as one of the best, led us to Waxhaw. Aside from the basic needs we had for a home, the school our children would attend played a major role in our decision on which home to purchase.

Now that I am a real estate agent the question, “What school district is it in?” usually follows “How much are they asking?” when we are working with buyers. It is that important and has been the downfall of many potential transactions. Buyers can find everything they want in a house, only to see that the school district is below par and suddenly the house takes on a completely different feel.

When we moved back to Salisbury, we were aware of the reputation our public school system has in the community. We are well versed in the challenges our system has faced and the lack of support and funding it has struggled with over the years.

With that in mind, I would like to formally announce a program by which I will donate 10 percent of my net commission for a year on any transaction that I perform in Rowan County for my clients (buying or selling a home) to the Rowan Impact Fund to support the growth of our public school system.

It is my goal to support the initiative to send teachers to other high-performing institutes to observe and learn from those who are having success. Just like I have been able to learn from my peers over the years, my desire is to provide that same opportunity to as many teachers as possible with the hope of a more fulfilled and inspired educator.

We all know the situation our schools are in. I am inspired by the work of our educational leaders, both public and private, and look forward to doing what I can to help improve the Salisbury/Rowan school system.

Matt DeBoer is a real estate agent in Salisbury.