With trillions of dollars being spent by the government (much of it going to defense), and states having huge amounts of debt, are we cutting out options for the poor and vulnerable? Providing an option for the poor and vulnerable is one of the seven principles of Catholic Social Teaching.
However, every year schools are funded with state and federal money; school board members who attended the National School Board Association Conference are proposing to roll back benefits to school employees, reduce staff and limit tutoring and extracurricular activities to students, MSNBC reports. Some places, like California, are proposing to have more than $4 billion in school funding cuts. These acts would take away options for the vulnerable children in America.
As a group of three students at Assumption High School in Davenport, my friends and I decided to tackle this issue. We traveled to a school and made the playground and school entrance more attractive and child friendly. In addition, we played games with children that helped them with their studies. These are areas which would be affected by budget cuts.
Are we willing to live Catholic Social Teaching by providing an option for the poor and vulnerable? We ask the question. Are you willing to?
Tyler Davidson
Bettendorf
