Most of the audience of the Daily are poor, struggling college students. However, since this college will produce many business and engineering students who will make more money than me (a future teacher), I would like to address

an issue that may someday affect their families and especially their children.

My family lives in a predominantly upper-middle class city outside of Austin, Texas. They have recently complained to me about Texas’ new Robin Hood Law. This law allows the state government to take money from the wealthier school districts and redistribute it to the poorer areas of inner city Austin and other poverty stricken areas.

My parents are upset by this law since my nine-year-old sister’s school will be affected with cut programs and a reduced staff. I do understand their argument. They and others in their community have worked hard to provide the best for their children. Why should drug dealers and former high school dropouts rake in freebies from unwilling donors?

I will admit “the common good” is a concept that is difficult for human beings to grasp, especially Americans. However, offering a better education to impoverished areas will effectively combat the vicious circle of ignorance, poverty and crime that keeps our country from living up to its potential.

Many Iowans do not realize that there are kids out there in cities as close as Chicago and Kansas City who go to schools where there aren’t textbooks or extracurricular programs, where the bathrooms lack proper plumbing, where the buildings are unsafe and where teachers have little or no control.

A friend of my dad’s recently went to school for a day with his truant son as a punishment. The father said that six out of seven classes were completely out of control. The kids were yelling and roaming about and the teachers resigned themselves to their desks. And this was in South Austin as opposed to the even worse east side. These kids are receiving an education that is far below the national norm.

And computers? Computers will not be found in very many inner city schools even though many companies donate their outdated merchandise. We are quickly approaching a point where computer literacy is essential for functioning in this society. It saddens me that just because of poverty, the kids I will teach will be so far behind other kids of this nation. How am I supposed to tell them that they can be or do anything they want and expect them to buy it?

Without a proper education, inner city students will never learn the knowledge base or communication skills that will allow them to get out of the rut that poverty creates. As the population increases, so will the percentage of kids who fall under this category. The children of our future business people and engineers won’t be able to go outside very far for fear of the senseless crime waiting around the corner. Let’s not let the gulf between the socio-economic lines widen any further!

Erika Stevenson is a senior in English from Marshalltown.