Ideas on how to help with Public School Budget Cuts & Childhood Obesity

So this morning I was watching the news and there was a clip about the 8% budget cuts for Idaho Schools.  Teacher’s pay will start at a little over $29K.  I was very upset about this.  Our kids are our future.  They deserve better than this, and the teachers who mold our children’s minds deserve better than this!  OUR FUTURE DESERVES BETTER THAN THIS!!!

Usually on my Facebook statuses I’m a very positive person, but today I posted my frustration.  Then later, as I was looking for an uplifting quote to post as my new status message, I saw a quote in The Laws of Spirit by Dan Millman that shifted my mood:

“I’m filled with faith.  Real problems exist.  But even as we address the issues that cry out for help, it seems wisest to focus on positive outcomes and on our human potential.  The Law of Expectation teaches that what we focus on expands; fighting problems only strengthens them by giving them energy.  So focus on the solutions, not the problems.”

As I was taking my shower, I couldn’t stop thinking about this quote.  And I couldn’t stop thinking about my “Fierce Dream” and my “Fierce Light” (see my blog about Fierce Light) and I remembered a quote from one of the other participants at the workshop I attended.  ‘Instead of thinking how hard something can be, why not think of how EASY it can be!”  Wow!  Okay….  So I started thinking about ways to fund our children’s education.  I started thinking about solutions to a teen center and what my focus should be on…creating PHYSICALLY HEALTHY CHILDREN!!!!  And I got excited….

So hear me out…

What if….

Funding Education:

What if private corporations funneled money into the schools?  Like a sponsorship.  It could be local corporations or even national ones.  So like here in Boise, we have Micron and HP.  What if they gave money to the public schools to help fund reading and writing?  I realize that sometimes they donate computers and stuff, but what if they gave MONEY to the schools to help the school buy books or whatever is needed in that way?  Or what if they started their own schools?  I don’t really know how this works out..it was just ideas flowing through my head.  I don’t have all the answers, but what if?  What if they created Public schools..like a charter school…  What if ALL of the major corporations did this instead of spilling all of their money into costly marketing campaigns?  The community service/schools would be the marketing campaigns.  The success of the schools they created would be a HUGE marketing boost for them.  Make this accessible to every/any child..not just a private school with kids who have money.  The same can work for major corporations…MICROSOFT, APPLE, GOOGLE, or any other major corporation.  I was about to say CocaCola..but what if Coke want to put their bad for your drinks and foods in the schools..that wouldnt’ work would it?

What if the major/local sports franchises put money into the schools for Physical Education?  So PE wouldn’t be cut from the budgets…and our kids could stay healthy?  They would be giving back..not just “token” amounts of time or money..but serious money that really made a difference.

Would this cost something on their ends?  Would it create sacrifices on the companies ends?  Maybe…but in the long run, wouldn’t they create smarter more successful future employees?  It’s just a thought.  I don’t have all the answers, but what if this could be part of the solution.

Okay, so I am gonna say something that maybe some of you might not like.  I know people don’t like Big Government…or like alot of Government in your lives.  I can understand that.  And I don’t know if what I am about to say is going to sound Socialist..and actually, I just don’t care what it sounds like.  But here it is..here is my thought…since that is what Blogging is about, right?  What if the government mandated that all major corporations (who made a certain amount of money) give back a certain percentage of their income to the public school system?  Same thing with sports franchises?  What if they were told they had to give back in order to support the full circle of life..in order to have a great country of qualified, smart, valuable employees, they would have to invest their money into the future.   Sure some of those kids would not end up working for them, but some would..its an investment in our country’s future!  It would come back around.  The USA could catch back up in the technology race.  And the community at large would be supporting itself.  We would be self-sustaining..recirculating..giving back..careing for…  How amazing would that be?

Instead of looking out for number one..we look out for each other..for the country at large.  It’s possible.  Anything could happen.  What if it was that easy?????

My “Fierce Dream” of a youth center:

So for years I have had a dream about owning a roller rink or a laser tag center.  I have dreamed of a community center for youth.  I have dreamed about healthy children (both physically and emotionally).

What if…….

What if the community center I create doesn’t look like any other community center out there?  Ya know the typical rooms filled with computers, tv, video games, maybe a gym to play ball in,  maybe a dance studio.  What if, my community center is a facility with a roller rink AND a laser tag arena?  What if it also had a room to serve as a dance/aerobic dance studio.  What if, instead of serving sodas and cotton candy, it served smoothies and healthy snacks?  What if it also allowed for quiet spaces to do homework and open conversations with mentors.  It could have a couple of video games and computers, I suppose.  But the major focus would be on team building, healthy relationships, homework, mentoring, and physical activity!

Currently, there is one roller rink and one laser tag arena here in town, but they are both FOR PROFIT. What if my facility was a 501c3…NON PROFIT!!!!!  Created for kids and families to create a healthy lifestyle and a safe place for kids to hang after school and on the weekends and on holidays.  That would rock!!!!!

So, my very appreciated readers, what do you think about my what ifs?  I would love to hear it!