Governor John Hickenlooper recently came forward with an idea to further cut into Colorado’s public education funding by reducing it by $375 million. Colleges will lose about $877 per student, K-12 will lose nearly $500 per student, and a few thousand teachers will lose their jobs. In an interview Hickenlooper states, “There is no denying these are significant cuts and they are going to be felt in every part of Colorado.” These cuts need to be felt in order for things to change. Education is not an area that we want to see damaged, but John Hickenlooper is not the only one to blame. It is also our decisions that have gotten us here.

The average American household spends 1.9 percent of its annual income on education. We spend 1.6 percent on alcohol and tobacco, 5.4 percent on entertainment, and 3.8 percent on apparel and services. As a society we value alcohol and tobacco almost as much as we value our education, and we invest in entertainment almost three times as much as we do in learning. Our government’s decisions are only a reflection of our culture’s priorities. It is not only the government whose actions shape this country; it is the people as well. In the United States, entertainers make millions of dollars a year while teachers make around $45,000 a year. We have made it clear where our priorities stand, and complaining about the outcome is unreasonable.

We have the necessities we need to learn, and they should not be unappreciated. For 13 years, I have listened to classmates complain about going to school, and then watched peers sleep through class. I have walked into many high schools that contain flat screens in the cafeteria and hundreds of untouched textbooks. This is certainly not the case for every school, but it is a sign that someone needs to take a step back and prioritize. If flat screens are some of the things that educational tax dollars are paying for, then Hickenlooper is doing us a favor.

The United States has become so comfortable with our wealth, that we have forgotten how we even got it. We are one of very few countries in the world where education is viewed as a right to its citizens. We need to be reminded how privileged we are.

We have access to free education, as well as the resources to make that education valuable. We cannot forget all that the economy has provided for us. There will be no gain unless as a whole, we make sacrifices. In times of struggle and recession there will always be loss and it is our job as the people to give back what our country has given us. Many Americans have lost jobs because of the economic struggle. To get these jobs back, dramatic changes need to happen or else the diplomas and degrees that we earn will be useless.

Although it is easier to pin the blame on our leaders, the real fault belongs on our own shoulders. Our appreciation for gaining knowledge needs to be challenged.

The K-12 budget cut will do more than help get us out of debt – it will open our eyes. Our privileges are not something that should be taken advantage of and our schooling is not something that should be taken for granted. We are rich with opportunities to learn and if we treasured them the way we treasure our weekend keggers, a budget decrease would not be necessary. It is important that we fight for our education and regain our perspective that there is a price tag to education.

cheykoop@mesastate.edu