COMMENTARY: Education landscape changing

Special to the Gazette Blog

By Tom Loeffler
Gila Community College Board Member

Recently, the media has been filled with school news. The PUSD School Board voted to close a school and establish a new configuration of attendance districts. We should know in a few months if the numbers work out for an ASU campus in Payson and the legislature hasn’t messed up the funding for such. And also, depending on the legislature, we may have an independent community college. These three events coming together will have a profound affect on the future educational environment of the Payson community.

The presence of a four year college and the independence of our community college will bring educators and their families to this community. New businesses will sprout up and bring in new families to the Payson area. The colleges will infuse a desire for excellence in higher education and higher enrollments because of their proximity. An added benefit to our schools may be the presence of student teachers and new ideas.

I believe we now have an opportunity to begin planning for the educational future of Payson. Make no mistake, with the three events mentioned above, the educational reality will change and must change. With families moving in, we may have to re-open Frontier School or develop a new configuration of existing schools. Our choice is do nothing and just let it happen or we design the best educational delivery system possible.

An example of this forward thinking is the idea of a charter school focused on math, science and technology. Jobs of the future that don’t even exist yet will rely on workers highly trained in math, reading and computer skills. Those who want to be on the cutting edge of new products will need a well grounded knowledge of science.

As a community we need to look for the elements that make up a good school environment where students can maximize their learning ability. In a town the size of Payson, one element to consider may be neighborhood schools where parents are close enough to be involved in their school and be a positive force for learning.

Size is another element to consider. A study just released indicates that the number of students in a class, other than the primary grades, does not affect the academic outcome as much as the quality of the teachers.

There will need to be new ways of engaging students in the learning process. How can we continue to get students excited about learning? We must develop ways to use the same technology the students already use and turn it into a teaching tool.

Another element may be the internal structure of our schools. This could entail the physical structure as well as the instructional style. There needs to be many ways to engage the student in and outside of the classroom.

It is an exciting time for education and with the prospect of the added elements of colleges coming to town we need to take advantage of their expertise and challenges.

Yes, we are facing some financial shortfalls but this is another challenge that will help us develop a future education plan that will fit the needs of our students. If we take the time to plan we can move our community and our state into the future unknown.