Education can help break poverty’s grip

Some statistics pass by me in a blur. Then at other times, they jump off the page.

Recently, an e-mail about the percentage of Alabama public school students on free or reduced lunch popped into my inbox. Since I don’t trust most e-mails, I double checked the State of Alabama Department of Education’s Web site and the number was correct. Nearly 52 percent of all public school children in Alabama are on free or reduced lunch.

I decided to look at the Wiregrass. Dothan City Schools have 56 percent and Houston County 53 percent. The highest percentage in our area is Barbour County with 99.6 percent. Believe it or not, there are at least two more school systems in Alabama with a higher percentage than Barbour County. Perry County is at 99.95 percent and every student in the Wilcox County school system is on free or reduced lunch.

The lowest percentage in the Wiregrass is Enterprise City Schools with 38 percent.

The systems statewide with the lowest percentage of students on free or reduced lunches are predictable. Auburn has 26 percent, Hoover 16 percent, Trussville 9 percent, Vestavia Hills 5 percent, and no students in the Mountain Brook school system are on free or reduced lunch.

The students on free or reduced lunch have nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s a great program that ensures all children in public schools are receiving proper nutrition. For some of these students, the breakfast and lunch they receive at school are the only regular meals they get during the week.

Poverty has no age or race restrictions. People live in poverty for a wide variety of reasons. Some are born into it and never escape its grip. Some are disabled mentally or physically and have no recourse. At the same time, some constantly make bad financial decisions while others don’t work when they are able. Contrary to popular belief, laziness is not always the reason.

For some, the cost of fuel, groceries and medicine have put them in a personal recession. People get laid off from work. They have a medical problem that depletes their savings.

There are many more reasons. But no matter the reason, it’s not the children’s fault. They can’t go out and make a living. They are at the mercy of their parents.

Thankfully, there is public education. The best way out of poverty is through education. If you look at where the lowest number of free or reduced lunches are, you will find the fewest people living in poverty. You will also find that the people in those areas put a strong emphasis on public education. They invest in it.

Throwing money at a problem won’t necessarily solve it. Money can’t overcome the lack of parental involvement. In those cases, education isn’t important to those parents, so they don’t encourage their children. To not care about your child’s education is to simply not care about your child.

What these children need to somehow realize is education can help break the cycle of poverty. Education leads to higher paying jobs in the future. The availability of higher paying jobs in the Wiregrass is for another column altogether.

My wife and I don’t have children, but seeing that children receive a quality education is important to us. It’s heartbreaking to see how some children live, but if they can receive an education, it increases their chances of breaking out and enjoying a better way of life.

Whether you have children or not, and even if your children are home schooled or attend a private school, you should still care about public education. If you want to see poverty decrease in your city, then it’s time to make education a priority.

Education isn’t the only answer to ending the vicious cycle of poverty. But without it, there is little hope.

Ken Tuck is the managing editor of the Dothan Eagle and regional editor of Media General Alabama Newspapers. He can be reached at or 334-712-7960.