Jerry Weast still wears cowboy boots even though his world is wingtips and cuff links. AS FOR NEW schools, Weast was clear.
Weast, 67, and a native of rural Moran, rubs shoulders with presidents and world leaders as a leader in education. He makes his home in Potomac, Md., just a stone’s throw from the nation’s capitol. He’s now retired from being superintendent of schools for Montgomery County, Md., a school district of more than 160,000 students.
In his career he’s overseen the construction of more than $1 billion worth of school buildings, and was willing to throw in his 2 cents Friday morning about USD 257’s proposal to build new schools. Weast was in the area to visit relatives.
Weast is fond of harking back to his days on the farm and uses that for perspective.
“A farmer told me his new tractor has GPS. Said he didn’t know how to run the thing, but his son did,” Weast recalled. “That’s an illustration of where we need to be with today’s education. We have to teach kids at a level that they can hold on to the farm. Today’s farmers have to be sharp.”
Whether it’s a farm, factory or business, it will not locate — or remain — in an area where there’s not a good labor pool, Weast said, and it’s incumbent on local schools to grow that pool.
When people realize investing in schools means an investment in a town’s future, they are more apt to vote for school bond issues, Weast said.
As for Iola schools being “good enough,” Weast chuckled.
“It doesn’t mean much to be the tallest tree in a short forest,” he said.
“Even if your schools could be maintained, what’s that going to mean for today’s kindergartners?” he asked. “A community has to decide what conditions are necessary to prosper and what kind of future it wants for its children.”
Weast said communities experience one of two trends.
1. Vicious cycle — Services decrease because of cuts in spending. “It’s a mentality of how low can you go,” he said.
2. Virtuous cycle — Investments help increase a property’s net worth which allows the returns to be plowed back into the community.
How a community invests in its schools and medical facilities are predictors of how they will fare, Weast said.
“The role of good leaders is to provide teachers with facilities that can support the curriculum of today and that of the future. A good school is also designed to make the most effective use of a teacher’s time,” he said.
But what about preserving the old? I asked.
Another chuckle.
“Places like Harvard can afford to keep their ivy halls because they have students paying to go there,” he said. “Public schools do not have that luxury. Typically, it costs more to renovate.
“Look, I travel the world. We need to prepare our students to compete on a global scale. Education is key to preparing our kids for that market. Do everything you can to facilitate teaching and learning and the return on that investment will be a more vibrant tomorrow.”
Iola schools in perspective: ‘the tallest tree in a short forest’
