<img class="size-medium wp-image-2016 alignleft" src="http://carolinacrossroads.news/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/school-consolidation-discussion-misses-the-point-300x229.jpg" alt="school-consolidation-discussion-misses-the-point" width="300" height="229" />Laurinburg Mayor Matt Block's recent <span style="color: #0000ff;"><a style="color: #0000ff;" href="http://laurinburgexchange.com/opinion/other-opinion/5041/school-consolidation-bad-idea" target="_blank">article</a></span> regarding Scotland County School's consolidation, remodeling and new construction plans was well received by the community, but frankly, we thought it completely missed the mark.<span style="color: #0000ff;">
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Mayor Block is not just a politician, he's also a doctor of cardiology. Dr Block, like other medical professionals, is mostly trained to respond to symptoms after they have manifested (often severely), rather than preventing their occurrence in the first place. The fact is '<strong>an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure</strong>'.

Heart disease, cancer and diabetes share one thing in common: they are for the most part attributable to poor lifestyle choices. Consuming fatty, fried foods, junk food, sodas and beer while sitting in front of the TV watching sports and entertainment are pretty much guaranteed to cause you a heap of trouble in the end. The choice between chronic, debilitating and often fatal disease or good health is <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Yours</span>.

The same is true for Scotland County. Our extreme dysfunction is the result of poor choices we've made in the past and continue to make to this day.

<strong>One of the biggest mistakes anyone can make is to allow others to 'frame the discussion', essentially boxing us in.</strong>

Framing today's discussion around consolidation, remodeling and new construction allows those in charge to completely avoid having to discuss the one thing that actually matters... <strong>educating our children to become knowledgeable, critical thinkers, capable of responsibly assuming their place in a 21st century economy and self-governing republic. </strong>If they can't do this, the rest doesn't matter.<strong>
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According to the State of North Carolina, Scotland County is doing a terrible job. We're dead last or almost dead last when it comes to educational performance, individual health and economic performance. It doesn't get much worse than this. Worse yet, despite having received tens of millions of dollars in state and federal help, things continue to deteriorate.

Why is Mayor Block even discussing nonsense like consolidating, remodeling or building expensive new schools when <strong>it's an established fact that home schooled children perform measurably better than those educated in public schools</strong>?

Why are we continuing to pay for schools that have consistently failed to provide the one thing they're paid to do:<strong> Educate our Children?</strong>

Aren't parents concerned about their children's future? Why are they not forming homeschooling co-ops, as other parents nationwide are doing? Did you know that over 10 million students are presently enrolled in home schooling?.

<strong>The Winners: </strong>Administrators, supervisors, teachers, assistants, counselors, maintenance personnel, janitors, bus drivers and contractors are making out like bandits. School Bus manufacturers like Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are winning the lottery every single day.

<strong>The Losers: </strong>Children and Taxpayers.

It's time to stop the BS, say NO! to the parasites and do the real work necessary to protect Scotland County's most precious asset.

<strong>Our children, deserve a fighting chance.</strong>

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<p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333;"><em><strong>Source:</strong></em></span></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Laurinburg Exchage</p>
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