State of the Economy (Marc Saluk)

We’ve all been told ‘Happy New Year’ plenty of times by this point and we all certainly hope that it is. Many of us have control, to some extent, over just how happy our year is. Despite the economy, we can still try new things, begin new relationships, give back to our communities, and so on. But regarding that economy, most of us feel… and rightfully so… that 2010 will come with many of the same challenges that we all felt in 2009.

However, there are many things that we as a society, as a community, and as individuals can do to create a brighter economic future beyond 2010… and one of those opportunities is just around the proverbial corner. On February 2nd, voters in the Greenville City Schools district will go to the polls to vote on the possible construction of a new Grades 5 – 8 school building for the districts’ students.

What’s the connection? A new school improves educational opportunities for Greenville students and therefore impacts the community and economic development. It does this through the creation of a better trained workforce and by helping attract, and retain, businesses to the area. What does that all mean?

Jobs. I’ll say it again because I can’t emphasize it enough. Jobs.

A new school building will help create jobs, prosperity, and a future for our community. Education is intractably connected to economic development. This is not my opinion- it’s a fact of modern society.
When companies evaluate a community, education is one of the primary topics of discussion. How effective are the schools? What kind of infrastructure does the district have? Is the community committed to education?

I am happy to say that the Greenville School District is very effective under the current administration with the tools that they have been given. Now, we (and I say ‘we’ because I live within the school district and have a step daughter in that district) as a community need to give them the tools they need to take the district to the next level. Approval of a bond issue to help fund a new building is one of those tools.

When companies evaluate the Greenville community, they see that virtually every other town in the county and surrounding area already has a new school facility, already has new infrastructure suitable for the types of technology employed in today’s classrooms, already have shown a commitment to educate their future leaders to the best of their ability.

When these companies look at Greenville, they see a school district whose oldest building, South Middle School, is currently planning its centennial celebration. They see a district where the average age of the school facilities 69 years old. Please keep in mind that the computer hadn’t even been invented 69 years ago, not to mention a host of other modern classroom tools which hadn’t even been conceived of yet.

The structures currently in place simply do not accommodate these. They do not accommodate the type of classroom environment that creates competitive students today. We can tinker with them, refurbish them, add on to them; but in the end, I believe the best expenditure of money is to create a fresh start with modern tools. If approved, this new middle school can be a show piece for the district and help prepare our children for the modern economy.

CEO’s and others looking at our area for economic endeavors will not put in the time to see the good work that the district’s teachers and staff our doing within school walls. They will only see the walls. And those ageing walls serve on a daily basis as a barrier to economic advancement for the Greenville community.

Think to yourself this- if you were in management of a company looking to relocate to an area, which community would you pick? Would you pick the one where you could send your kids to a modern facility and where the area workforce was ready for the modern world? Or would you select the community where the district’s NEWEST building was built during the Kennedy administration (The high school was built in 1962)?

I have spent my first eight weeks as economic development director intently listening to the input of individuals and communities in and around our county. Outside the county, I can tell you without question that there exists a perception that Greenville is not committed to education. I can also tell you that, with the current administration in place under Superintendent Susie Riegle, that this is definitely not the case.

But we need to equip that administration with the tools to do the job right. They have earned that. Yes, a ‘yes’ vote on February 2nd will end up costing each of us a small sum of money. But it is not a cost… it is an investment, and it is one that we must make if we want Greenville to prosper. Jobs follow education and prosperity follows jobs.

Do we want to be sitting around together in 30 years discussing the glory days of Greenville at a coffee shop or do we want to be living them? The choices made right now will dictate that path. That first choice comes in February. My office is fully behind the Greenville School District’s efforts to create a modern facility for our children as well as a cornerstone for the future prosperity of the community. My sincerest wish is that everyone who reads this will feel the same way. Let’s support our children, our community, and our future.

[Marc Saluk is the Economic Development Director for Darke County and a Greenville area resident. His office number is 548-3250 and he can be reached through email at msaluk@darkecounty.com.]