Education funding should be higher

In the U.S., everyone has a basic right to an education, and every state has to provide free elementary and high school classes. The quality of the provided education, however, depends on the area you live in.

As a mother of a 3-year-old and a sister of a 13-year-old brother, I am very concerned with the quality of education the local schools provide for our children. I live in Carpentersville and the fact is that schools here are far below the required national standards. The low budget schools are the reason for this inadequacy. In Carpentersville, the majority of school age children are Hispanic. These children are intelligent and should not be viewed as incapable of learning simply because of the color of their skin or their parents' background or financial situations.

Instead of spending money on the war with Iraq, we should increase the budget to help better educate our children. Teachers should be paid higher salaries.

All children have potential, and should receive the best possible education this country can provide. Our children are our future.

Katarzyna Stawarz

Carpentersville