Valley Voices for Children sets good example

Frontiersman editorial board

When you don't like something you've got a lot of options in a free society. You're free to gripe about it; you're free to wait until the next election and vote your conscience; you're free to write letters to the editor; you're free to do nothing and you're also free to roll up your sleeves and do something about it. Not surprisingly, the last one tends to get the most satisfying results -- Kris Moore, and her Valley Voices for Children group can attest to that.

"We are happy with what is happening," Moore said. "You can't look at this year and not be happy with the success." What is happening is that Moore and her group joined forces to demand better education funding and support from Juneau -- and someone in Juneau is listening. Several education funding bills were introduced in the Legislature this year, and the economic crisis facing Alaska's school districts has become one of the biggest issues in the state capitol this session.

There's no doubt the issue is a critical one that would have received some attention, but the level of scrutiny and the amount of energy being expended by legislators on this issue have certainly been increased by the efforts of Valley Voices for Children.

As is often the case with good ideas that get good results, the Voices idea is catching on in other places around the state, and people from other districts are joining the well-organized effort. Many of the other groups were already functioning, but what's new is a commitment to combine efforts and to sound off with a unified voice in support of education.

There may be no more important issue facing the state, and the ramifications of not dealing with Alaska's education challenges could reach deep into our future. Most people recognize that, and commitment to quality education seems to cross party lines with less political baggage than many other issues.

That may make the job of advocating for better education funding easier, but the example being set by Valley Voices for Children may be one worth studying for other groups, as well.

There are a lot of important causes out there, and a lot of good ideas for facing the challenges before us. What we've learned from Moore's group is that unity and cohesion are the strongest tools for expressing good ideas to our legislators.

It makes their job easier, and it lets them know how their constituents feel about important issues. Congratulations to Valley Voices for Children on the work they've done so far.