October 13, 2:51 PM 1
School to Work: A Great Idea from Dick Lilly
Dick Lilly, a former member of the Seattle School Board, made a strong case for the next mayor focusing on programs designed to put high school kids to work.
Lily wrote: Only the mayor can bring the city together to make it happen. The mayor can lead. He can jawbone. He can say this is what we’re going to do: We in Seattle, the businesses, governments, and nonprofit enterprises that are the economic engine of this place are all going to step up and provide every youngster in Seattle public high schools at least one year of part-time work, real work, during their four years of high school.
Dick Lilly is right. Putting high school kids to work is a mission that we need to accomplish as a city. Not only will we help build confidence and opportunity for our city’s less advantaged youth, but if we’re successful, we will have fewer kids turning to gangs and other negative directions.
I strongly recommend Mr. Lilly’s article to everyone interested in working on ways to re-vitalize our public schools. If elected mayor, I look forward to working with people from all backgrounds to
ensure that our city does not fall short of preparing our kids for life after high school.
The article, “Hey kids: Get a Job”, can be found at Crosscut.
While in theory that sounds like a good idea… the truth is that being able to put “burger flipper” on a college resume isn’t going to get anyone very far. Colleges and other jobs will notice leadership experience within their school, volunteer work, and good grades. Although I was able to have a job while in school - I limited my hours very much. Making cinnabons was for extra cash, not for my future. I would much rather have a focus on kids getting involved in their school and community rather than just having a job. Jobs are not the cure for students out of trouble.