The year is 2057. Dillon County students rank last in the state in achievement, while having the highest rates of drop-outs and teen pregnancies. DillonCounty has the state’s highest percentages of unemployment and prison population. There are no industries in DillonCounty and we have the lowest per-capita income in the state. If the communities of DillonCounty had demanded educational and economic reform FIFTY YEARS AGO, this could have been prevented. NOW it is too late!
This could easily be the headline of the Dillon Herald in fifty years. NOW is the time for citizens of DillonCounty to stand up for change and be brave enough to confront the many barriers to economic development that plague our community.
It is in our economic self-interest to ensure higher-quality schools by providing the most updated facilities and equipment to produce an educated, productive work force that will attract investors to our communities. We must either improve our ability to compete in today’s skills-driven economic society (and even more demanding workplaces of the future), or face greater poverty, joblessness, over crowded prisons and diminished quality of life. NOWis the time to make this decision for our children.
DillonCounty is comprised of three school districts, each boasting strengths and acknowledging weaknesses. In this time of changing educational environments, these districts have clung to tradition and history, but we must look to the future. NOW is the time for us to join forces and declare what is educationally necessary to improve the future of DillonCounty. The buildings in Dillon Two are over one hundred years old. I have stood in one of them, shielding students as the roof caved in. Something must be done. If NOW is not the time, when is?
We all have our own opinions on what we should or should not do to correct these problems. But, NOW is not the time for division, NOW is the time to ask ourselves, “Am I doing everything I can to improve the future for the children of DillonCounty?” NOWis the time to join efforts so that the future headlines will read:
The year is 2057. DillonCounty students continue to make remarkable gains in achievement. Reports show drop-out and teen pregnancy rates have declined to all-time lows. Industry growth has exploded, increasing our per-capita income significantly. The Governor sites the efforts of community members FIFTY years ago and commends them for having the foresight to fight for educational and economic improvements that made these gains possible. The future is bright for DillonCounty.