Editorial : Students should follow happenings in Syracuse city schools

The harrowing situation in the Syracuse City School District — more than 400 jobs cut, poor performance on the recently released statewide tests, budget shortfalls in the tens of millions — should draw more than pity from Syracuse University students.

Perennially struggling city schools can have a direct effect on the university in more ways than one. More importantly, its desperate situation exemplifies trends in urban and impoverished districts across the country, trends that reveal the weaknesses in the American public education system as a whole. Paying attention to our local districts teaches real-life lessons about inequities that debilitate one of the least empowered demographics in American society: children.

Low graduation rates and education levels have a direct effect on the local economy and can raise crime rates. Students concerned about campus safety, short-term job opportunities or local internships must see how an uplifted school system will have long-term benefits for the campus community. Many of the varsity sports, like soccer or lacrosse, recruit from nearby high schools; future student athletes should be prepared academically for college life, a difficult feat if local schools continue to struggle.

What can be done? Students looking to volunteer in the city should see the public school system as a priority through tutoring, after school activities, outreach projects and intervention. Gifts to the district and passing grants guarantee only momentary support. But strengthening the bonds between SU students and the children of the district could create a sustainable resource for rebuilding a district in need.