According to a report described at this year’s Camden Conference, covering 34 developed countries (most in Europe, some in Asia), the United States is lagging in educational achievement.

The report notes that U.S. 15 year-olds in 2009 ranked 12th in reading literacy, 17th in science proficiency and 25th in mathematics ability.

In the 1960s, the United States was the best performer in school completion; by the 1990s we ranked 13th.

In 1995 we were second in college completion rates; by 2005, we dropped to 15th.

In 1972, only 28 percent of jobs required some education beyond high school; by 2018, when many of our current students will be looking for a job, 63 percent of those jobs will require that education.

Even in today’s weak economy, 3.4 million jobs in the U.S., and more than a half million in the Northeast, are going unfilled because of a lack of qualified workers.

Does this matter to us?

Recently, the School Administrative District 75 Finance Committee invited local officials to a briefing on their efforts to control costs with minimal impact on our children’s education. Their goal was to have no growth in the school taxes paid by the district’s residents.

However, they expressed anxiety over the program cuts necessary to reach that goal.

Town officials attending the briefing noted they too were seeing increases in taxes to pay for emergency services, roads, and county jails.

Increase taxes for roads but not schools? Jails, but not schools?

In addition to the impact on students, consider the economic development consequences of having an under-trained work force. Of course, we could just continue to import more trained workers from India, China and elsewhere to help pay for our unemployed and welfare-eligible young people who cannot find jobs.

Yes, enrollment is down and some budget reductions are appropriate. But most attendees felt that the otherwise worthy goal of restraining school taxes should be moderated by restoring those proposed cuts that severely impact education and support for those students who need help in completing school.

The Finance Committee seemed receptive to this approach, but worried about the level of public support for even a small increase.

I urge folks who support the Finance Committee and the SAD 75 school board in restoring the most devastating proposed cuts, to contact them immediately. This will give them the confidence that they are not alone in advocating for quality education in these difficult economic times.

Jim Henderson is a member of the Harpswell Board of Selectmen.

[email protected]