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Opinion

March 5 - March 18, 2016

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Community Commentary

Letter to the Editor

Celebrate the importance of reading College funding needs to be increased month presented by a special member When was the last time you read to a or members of its community. In place of child? My children have outgrown the age regular age-divided morning story times when my wife and I read aloud to them but, those weeks, they did “mash-up,” where as a parent, I appreciate the importance of attendees of all ages enjoyed being read early reading. According to by a wide variety of to experts, reading aloud locals. Community readers to your child early in included firefighters, dental life is a great way to assistants, veterans, an help him or her with author, and even a pest language development. control expert. In celebration of Dr. Let’s keep our Seuss’ birthday (March commitment to youth and 2), I will meet with some take the time to expose hungry young minds at them to new and exciting the Southeast Regional reading experiences. We Library, one of 17 libraries may not be able to travel operated by Maricopa to the jungles of the Congo County, to share my or visit the museums of favorite Dr. Seuss book, the Smithsonian Institution “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!” Denny Barney. Submitted photo to keep up with our thirst Studies have shown for knowledge, but we can that reading aloud to take our children to visit young children stimulates the imagination, our local libraries and open endless worlds expands their understanding and develops to explore. Last year, we had more than 3 the mind. The National Institute of Child million visitors to our Maricopa County Health and Development estimates that 10 libraries. That is more than the number million children struggle with the important of people who visited Mount Rushmore! skill of reading. Of those 10 million, 1 in 10 In the past year, our libraries circulated eventually drops out of high school. That is 7.4 million items. Stacked on top of one more than 1 million students. However, on another, that would reach a height of 116 a more hopeful note, the U.S. Department miles. If electronic books (e-books) are your of Education found that children whose thing, the Maricopa County libraries are family members read to them at least three right there with you. There were more than times a week were almost twice as likely to 729,000 e-book checkouts in 2014, an 81 score in the top 25 percent in reading. The percent increase from 2012. statistics speak for themselves! In the spirit of Dr. Seuss’ birthday, I The Maricopa County Library District encourage you to read to your children provides early learning programs to daily or take an opportunity to read to children and their families and offers a child in need. For information about services that benefit customers of all ages. upcoming events and programs, or The Maricopa County libraries do so much volunteering at one of our many libraries, more than lending books. They are centers visit www.mcldaz.org. of community engagement, hosting more Reading is an essential life skill to than 6,000 programs last year, including acquire. Expose your children to reading; Library Con (a mini comic-con held at you’ll be glad you did. the Southeast Regional Library every October). Starting in 2014 the programming Denny Barney is a Gilbert resident and staff at the Queen Creek Branch Library member of the Maricopa County Board of teamed up to offer one story time each Supervisors.

BY DENNY BARNEY

The state of Arizona now has a surplus of more than $1.5 billion. That is a lot of temptation for legislators and lobbyists, but before they come up with new programs on which to spend it, they need to be reminded that our constitution requires that state university education should be as nearly free as possible. Last year they cut $99 million from the universities’ budgets. Now they are talking about restoring $8 million from the surplus. How does $80 per student get to “nearly free”? We can and should do much, much better in restoring the required funding to our state universities.

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