Use 'found' money for rural schools

Volkswagen is remitting 4.3 billion "found" dollars to American people they "duped." Let's make America great. Fund technology in rural education in America with the windfall.

We have approximately 14,000 school districts in America, 57 percent are rural, defined as fewer than 600 students in ADA. That comes to is 7,980 districts. Equal division of the money that no one expected and is not promised to any project equals $538,847.12 per rural district. The sum is small when compared to the metro area of 8 million. In almost 8,000 rural districts with 600 students, a partnership with a computer company, a Gates partnership and over half a million American grant dollars could advance rural education for a decade.

It seems reasonable. I am not a product of rural education nor do I profess any expertise on the subject. Reason would suggest that low density of population, spread over many square miles would produce small funding for education. Add mining and small farming communities, devastated by economic changes, and funding education is more difficult.

Poor education creates limited skills, leads to under employment, earning limited wages, increasing social struggles and greater government involvement. Perhaps Sens. Durbin and Duckworth could share the idea.

The money is new. The rural education problem is old. No one will miss the money. Be smart and prove America is great: Use the unclaimed, unbudgeted, "unowned" money and fix a nationwide issue with one action. 50 states, nonpartisan, without bias (all races, creeds and colors included) and no discrimination of any nature.

Alan P. Murdoch

Arlington Heights