There has been a lot of talk recently about the goings on within the Vicksburg Warren School District. Questions are being asked, and answers are being sought.

I too have questions about district happenings that I would like answers to, but I also have another question: As a community are we concerned with what goes on with our public schools?

I know not everyone has a student in the public school system. And some of you choose the private school options. But the reality is whether you have a dog in the fight or not, you should be supporting, demanding and wanting the Vicksburg Warren School District to be strong, because a strong public school system is vital for a thriving community. A strong public school can boost property values, it can attract residents, and it can play an important role in economic development and workforce quality.

As a product of the VWSD and having children that went through it, I find it so disheartening when our public school system suffers through struggles. And I am dismayed every time I see one of those Ride Share vans go by.

Did you know the passengers in these vehicles are using taxpayer dollars to be chauffeured to towns like Clinton and Madison instead of living in Vicksburg — mostly, if not all, because they are not confident in our public schools.

Back in my day, children of the engineers and scientists who worked for the Corps of Engineers went to the public schools with me, not in surrounding towns. We need them back and we need to, as a community, figure out what it’s going to take to make that happen.

If you are wondering how we should go about that, I would suggest figuring out the best way you can get involved, be it volunteering, finding out what is going on at the school board meetings or simply by voting.

Like I said earlier, the VWSD represents the whole community, so that means we all get to cast a vote for our elected school board representative. And if you think things need to change, make it happen because with community support and accountability shown by school leaders, we could be every bit as competitive as those schools in the Jackson area.

Vicksburg is on the cusp of great things happening and I want to make sure they all come to fruition, and that means we need a strong, vibrant and innovative public school system.

We already have very talented teachers; we just need to give them the tools they need.

So when people start talking, let’s let it be because of our public school success, not its shortcomings.