A sign at a local high school once proclaimed, “Education is the key to everything.” While that may be something of an exaggeration for some, it's literally true for almost everyone.

The U.S. Constitution leaves education in the hands of the states. Simple logic dictates that schools must be funded equitably, which can happen only if school funding is not the responsibility of local communities, but rather of the entire state. Although logic, of course, is not nearly as powerful as politics, we must not give up on it.

When the country was young, communities created and funded their own schools to serve the local community. The proverbial one-room schoolhouse has now evolved into “independent” school districts which remain under the control of local school boards. People like it that way and will fight to maintain the status quo.

While parents generally want their kids to get a good education, they don't always care about the quality of education in general. We must understand that it's critical for the health of society for all children to be well-educated. If we don't invest in the education of the youth, we'll be forced to continue to invest more and more in welfare, prisons and rehab facilities.

The problem is, the opportunities are not the same at all schools, partly due to funding differences. There are 20 school districts in Bexar County, each with its own administration. To improve educational outcomes in this county, it is necessary to engage 20 different school boards and administrations.

One solution is to merge the school districts over time, which is completely doable now that we're no longer in the horse-and-buggy age. In a few years, there could be one school district per county. In a few more years, there could be one school district for the entire state. The savings in administrative costs alone would be enormous.

None of this will happen unless the people of Texas understand that it's critical to educate everyone, not just their own children. Before that can happen, all of us need to see the value of all the rest of us, not just those who look and spend like we do.

Education is not like a car, where the rich can buy the most expensive models. Society will continue to suffer as long as school funding remains at the local level. Those who don't want equality in public education could still send their kids to private schools. It's fine to buy a private education, but it makes no sense to be able to buy a public education.

Dennis Gittinger, Ph.D., is a professor of mathematics at Northwest Vista College.