Superintendent's Corner
Since early July, I have been serving as the superintendent of the Parkers Prairie School District. I am honored to have the opportunity to work with staff, Board, community and students to make our schools the best they can be. This school year is my thirty-first as a Minnesota school superintendent and I remain passionate and committed to the task of providing all of our youth with a quality public school education that will allow them to succeed now and in the future.
As with other long-term investments, the benefits of time, hard-work, and financial resources devoted to becoming a well-educated and highly skilled individual are not immediately apparent. Nevertheless, the evidence from the past and the present are overwhelming in showing that our nation and individual citizens derive great benefits from education. In July of 2010, the national unemployment rate for all workers was reported to be 9.5%. For those individuals with a four year college degree the unemployment rate was 4.5%, far below the 10.1 percent rate for high school graduates, or the 13.8 percent rate for high school dropouts. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2009, the median weekly income for those without a high school diploma was $454; for high school graduates with no college training the median weekly income was $626 per week; and for those with a four year college degree the median weekly earnings was $1,025. Diplomas and college degrees aren’t the only routes to higher paychecks and lower rates of unemployment. Apprenticeships and other types of long-term on-the-job training also tend to increase earnings and job security. Many occupations that usually require long-term training such as machinist and electrician also have median earnings comparable with those of college graduates. Although an investment in education is not a guarantee of employment and a living wage, it greatly increases one’s chance of experiencing the American dream.
In July, Kelly Mesker gave me a three hour Parkers Prairie history tour. It was a wonderful educational experience and I greatly appreciated it. As we toured, it became apparent that many factors over the years have contributed to the creation and prosperity of the Parkers Prairie Community. In addition to abundant natural resources and hard-working settlers, this community also benefited from a variety of significant long-term investments: the railroad; a system of state and local roads, public schools, and regional land-grant colleges. Just as in the past, our private and public long-term investments will be necessary if we are to continue to prosper. Just as in the past, few communities will be able to prosper without a strong public school system. For our youth, local citizens, and the nation as a whole, education remains a key to allowing us to thrive in this increasingly competitive world economy.
As your superintendent, I look forward to working for and with you.
Superintendent Thomas Ames