Primary focus should be on investing in public schools
There’s been a lot of talk surrounding South Carolina legislation’s refusal to give $70,000 to College of Charleston and USC Upstate over pro-LGBT books in their curriculum. But after watching “Corridor of Shame” this week, I can think of a few more important issues for the state government to be focusing on.
For anyone who hasn’t seen it, “Corridor of Shame” is an hourlong documentary focusing on the lack of funding to rural schools in South Carolina. It was made in 2006 by Bud Ferillo, a public relations and advertising professional who has been heavily involved in South Carolina politics.
Being an out-of-state student, I didn’t grow up in the state’s public school system. My dad taught at Lady’s Island Middle School in Beaufort for a year, and I thought I understood a bit about the system, but the state is filled with much more rural schools than Beaufort, and those schools are wallowing in disrepair and underfunding.
It’s easy to complain on our campus about the condition of buildings like the dilapidated Women’s Quadrangle dorms or how Hamilton College recommends not drinking from their plumbing. But when these small points are juxtaposed against school that have sewage seeping into their hallways or buildings full of kids in winter coats due to a lack of heat, it’s fair to say we’re doing alright.
The differences between rural South Carolina schools and a state-funded college is obvious. But their similarities are that they’re both run with money from the state, allocated by the state. In “Corridor of Shame,” teachers in some of the schools complained about the quality of books, most from the 1950s saying things like, “One day we hope to land on the moon” or that they were paying for books out of pocket.
So when the state complains about giving money to colleges that want to use books focusing on LGBT issues or written by LGBT people, they need to do something beneficial with that money.
While it seems backwards to refuse certain facets of education to people paying thousands of dollars for an education, there are plenty of children in this state who aren’t receiving one at all, even though they’re going to school day after day.
The fight to allow LGBT books in schools isn’t one to be given up, but if the state refuses now, maybe some good can come of it.
