Tough Times in OK

When the usual means of funding run short local churches become the lifeline with food, medicine and shelter. Oklahoma is in such a state now with its schools. Funding is dangerously short for repairs and maintenance that are normally covered under the yearly budget.

I remember an anecdote from author Mark Steyn about a woman at a political rally who asked the president if he was going to fix their school. It was an old school after all and hadn’t had repairs in years. The windows rattled when the train went by, the paint was peeling off the walls and the computers were out of date. The student desks broke down practically every day and the plumbing needed attention.  The woman demonstrated perfect exasperation and hopelessness at the situation. The president promised to do what he could and used the occasion to bloviate about ‘kids’ and ‘destiny’, the usual boilerplate politician stuff. The whole notion that the president should concern himself with one schoolhouse in one rural district of one state is truly a measure of how far from citizen/state relations we are. When did residents of a town, a district, a parish forget how to paint walls and fix plumbing on their own?

 States and districts and counties and townships should see to their own welfare and not expect taxpayers to repair schoolhouses across the country. It doesn’t matter how genuine the question was. It reflects ignorance about the relationship of citizens and state. This ignorance is tough to undue. The woman at the rally could have been a plant designed to make the president seem caring, good hearted. It may have likely been someone who thought by getting the ear of the 'organizer in chief', by calling attention to the plight of this school it might force the community to pay attention. Who knows, maybe the president arranged for some contractors to clean up the place but I doubt it.
  

That Americans thought the question to the President was acceptable tells me we aren’t helping our communities in need. These are opportunities for churches to raise money and volunteers to begin rebuilding and renewing schools. I wonder how much of these state budget problems can be fixed by taking some of the burden of retrofits and upkeep off the sagging shoulders of local governments. Americans are used to civil society being run like a business with invoices and payrolls, credits and debits. Money from sales and property taxes funds schools and libraries; when revenues are low for long stretches we scarcely know what to do short of blaming the Republicans (or is it the Democrats). Both parties end up managing a sinking ship but using different bailing techniques. The problem is simple. When revenues are down projects get cut, so do employees like teachers. That kind of math is something both parties hate and voters have to deal with.

Churches help by feeding the poor and arranging for counseling and drug rehab programs for the destitute. Some of the larger churches have ‘in-house’ programs for single mothers, ex-cons and scholarship funding for talented kids. Here in Oklahoma the problem of funding for schools is acute. Districts have cut funding for teacher pay and custodial work and even sports programs and office supplies. A lot of Tulsa area schools need more than just regular levels of spending; they need to rebuild large chunks of the infrastructure. We have trouble just keeping the lights on right now.  Oklahoma needs a drive for school renewal projects. Americans have a long history of pitching in and helping with building projects through churches and community led volunteer efforts.

I don’t mean to pick on the woman who asked the President for help. Too many crumbling buildings get ignored budget after budget since the money isn’t available; how frustrating it must be. Churches have the people and can raise the resources to cover the gaps for schools when funds are short. Local church volunteer projects are the collective response by citizens to tough times. Taking care of school buildings doesn’t have to mean a federal role for a federal purse, it just takes local citizens and local volunteers.

Maybe than we can get back to a reasonable understanding of federal roles and local responsibility.