Children, in all of their wonderful glory, are beacons of truth, honesty and intellectual ability. It is our responsibility, as a society, to ensure we are cultivating children’s potential through educational. With that in mind, we know the world is changing, evolving and hopefully growing. Yet, we find ourselves providing the same old education to children who can no longer thrive under old ideas.

Today, organizations, companies, and business provide flexible and innovative work environments. However, we still find ourselves counting the amount of time a child sits at his or her desk. Archaic policies like seat time will do nothing to prepare our children for the constantly changing future. And why is that?

The reason children are not provided the education they deserve is because political establishments refuse to light the reform fire. Specifically, children are held hostage while the Idaho Legislature, state department of education, state board of education, the governor’s office and every other entity that plays a role in education sit on their. . .status quos.

It is frightening that every time good reforms are available they are thrown to the side in the name of politics. Every time the establishment pushes innovative reform to the wayside they not only fail current students but also every future student. It’s truly a wonder that state lawmakers don’t recognize or really care that that every time they ignore good policy they are setting children back years.

The 2016 legislative session has had the good fortune of seeing a surplus in revenue. Education is the highest-spending budget item so it would seem logical that the money be used to produce the most successful and high-achieving students possible. Yet, we find ourselves wading in the murky waters of terrible spending. Not once has there been talk of true reform, but rather a rush to create new programs to support the already failing system.

The Legislature doesn’t seem to have the time to be bothered with putting in the hard work, the work that creates lasting reforms. Instead it, as a body, would rather play political games and keep policy from even having the opportunity to be heard. It would be interesting to allow constituents to determine what policies have a hearing and which don’t. It would be no surprise if education was at the top of every constituent’s list. What are legislators, the department of education and the governor’s office so afraid off? What harm would it do to provide, at the very least, the opportunity to address proposed legislation? Don’t constituents have that right?

Those in political leadership are causing irreparable harm to the children of this great state. Yet, they have every opportunity to make actual change, and there remains time for the establishment to do so. Fingers-crossed they will find in their hearts the desire and will to provide our children with the opportunity and choice they need to be successful.