I don't suffer from allergies, so I don't understand what allergies are like — especially the one so many Peorians seem to have toward forward thinking.
The morning of Jan. 26, I read something that truly frightened me, and got me thinking about this allergy.
Workforce Network — a partnership of workforce organizations in the Greater Peoria Area providing employment resources — sent me a copy of the 2009 State of the Workforce Report.
The report lays out how things are going in the region concerning employment issues. There is some scary information about education in that report.
It seems all of us, no matter how well-educated, are in danger of falling behind. The need for knowledge is growing at an exponential rate.  
The 2009 State of the Workforce Report said education and training are expanding throughout the world, and the growth of technology is leading a need for additional workforce skills. 
“If China, India and Russia were to graduate 10 percent of their three billion people in an occupation such as engineering, they would have 300 million highly skilled workers. In the United States, with a population of 300 million, graduating 25 percent of its population in similar occupations is equal to a mere 75 million high-skilled workers,” the report said.
“Being outnumbered requires that U.S. workers be better educated and provided with opportunities to continue to upgrade workplace skills. Why? All the technological information we work with today will represent only 1 percent of the knowledge that will be available in 2050 ... With the pace of technological changes accelerating with each new generation of discoveries, it is imperative that this region embrace the ideas of innovation, creativity and invention as prime economic drivers.”
That got my attention. It’s alarming because too many people here, instead of embracing innovative educational opportunities like the Edison Project and a charter school, can see only how things have been done in the past. We have to look forward, but too many Peorians have an allergic reaction to forward thinking.
I went into the mayor’s State of the City address carrying that concern.     
Then I heard Mayor Jim Ardis, about halfway through his speech, say, “A Chinese proverb goes like this, ‘If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.’”
Ardis, without knowing it, was directly addressing the issue bothering me.
He added later, “As you may know, I traveled to
Washington, D.C., last fall along with Lee Graves and former (State) Sen. George Shadid to meet with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Secretary Duncan strongly urged our elected officials, business community and citizens to work together to demand a higher quality of education for our kids ... It is no secret that Secretary Duncan and many education experts believe that we need to move where other successful school districts have already gone, to longer school days, year-round schools, more teacher accountability and choice.”
That is the forward-thinking sentiment, but I had to wonder if it would “Play in Peoria.”
Then, Dr. Norm Durflinger, mayor of Morton, retired Morton school superintendent and now interim superintendent of District 150, rose to speak.
As far as his responsibilities to District 150, Durflinger could just phone it in if he wished. But, he recognizes that the direction Peoria takes impacts Morton and every other community in the region. Durflinger said fixing the district’s financial issues is the easy obstacle.
The other obstacle is failing student achievement, a much more difficult obstacle to hurdle. Durflinger said the district needs visionary leadership, students, parents and other stakeholders. He said the district needs those same four groups not to accept excuses. Then, he brought up a need which will be difficult for many to accept — support.
“I am not saying that people should discontinue being questioning of the district, but you must also be willing to support the school through involvement, not just criticism,” Durflinger said.
“I do have a concern, however, that the community will put all their support in lighthouse schools like the Edison schools and the charter school.”  
The comments from Ardis and Durflinger were comforting. But, there is still fear, a lot of fear, in Peoria and beyond about District 150. That fear could lead to turning District 150 around, or tearing it down.
There’s no telling which way it will go. I fear that’s just the way it is.