When Our Schools Close, What Happens to Our Communities?
As a mom, business owner and someone who believes deeply in the greater good, freedom, choice and opportunity I can’t stop thinking about what it would mean if public schools were defunded— a voucher system is implemented — and ultimately shut down. This isn’t just an abstract conversation or a political debate—it’s personal. It’s about my kids and the kind of future they’ll grow up in. It’s about the balance between my role as a protector for them and my responsibility to stand beside the people and communities I love.
Because let’s be honest — the ripple effects of defunding public schools wouldn’t just hurt students—I feel like it would unravel the very fabric of our neighborhoods. And while I feel scared and honestly disgusted watching these policies move forward at lightning speed, I’m not hopeless (maybe feeling a little helpless though). I am however committed to being a community builder, even when the division and distractions can be designed to make us feel powerless.
“At the end of the day, I'd rather be excluded for who I include than included for who I exclude.” Rev. Eston Williams
I don’t want to ignore what’s happening. So here I am typing up a few reflections and hoping to gain more perspective along the way.
What Happens When Schools Start Failing?
When a public school starts to collapse under the weight of funding cuts, the changes aren’t slow or subtle. They’re loud and heartbreaking:
Teachers leaving because they can’t afford to stay.
Classrooms overcrowding with students.
Programs disappearing—no more arts, no music, no advanced courses for kids who dream big.
Buildings falling apart because there’s no budget for maintenance.
And perhaps most devastating, families leaving—taking their kids to private or charter schools if they can afford it.
All of this just leaves behind a system that becomes a hollow shell of what it once was.
And I have to just drop a plug here… No, the vouchers would not be enough to fund private schools. If we check the price of private schools, or for that matter, the price of even daycares and preschools schools a voucher program will not cover this expense. There would be additional funds that would have to come out of our pockets for our children to afford going to the private school. Okay, but let’s say hypothetically vouchers could allow you to move to a private school or similar. Where will this school be located? A large number of private schools are on a waitlist. So there are already not enough private school opportunities for the current set of kids. I guess there is talk that a charter school would be the solution but even then where are these charter schools and how can they create a better learning environment for our kids?
If our public schools ultimately shut their doors think about the ripple effect! Less teachers, overcrowding, people leaving… Property values drop. Businesses pull back from investing. Communities become shadows of what they used to be. How could there not be a negative economic impact in our community? How could there not be a group of kids that have a decline in education - do we really need a group of less educated kids? Think covid, so many of us talked about how the students needed to be at school. So if we are defunding schools where do students go other than home? And the families who don’t have the resources to “opt out” are left with fewer and fewer options.
For so many, it’s a kind of modern-day segregation—not by race alone, but by class, access, and privilege.
Where Do We Draw the Line?
So where is the line between safety and advocacy…
I wrestle with my dual role as a mother and as someone with privilege and platform. At what point does focusing on the greater good become obsolete? At what point does my responsibility to keep my family safe outweigh my responsibility to stand up for the people I love? At what point does freedom of speech—the very thing I hold dear—become too dangerous? For many people, it already is. I would be lying if I said I have not thought about what my tipping point would be to just leave our country (I can’t even imagine what this looks like).
I don’t have the answers. I don’t know how to perfectly balance protection and advocacy. But what I do know is that I don’t want to be silent. I want to learn how to find hope in my community even when it feels like there’s fires happening all around me.
When we see schools failing, we are witnessing something much bigger—a calculated attempt to dismantle systems of opportunity and equality.
The speed at which this is happening isn’t random. I believe it is intentional. It’s happening so quickly that it feels like we’re watching a playbook out of history—one designed to divide and distract us.
Choosing to Build
Here’s the thing, I refuse to give into division. There are so many distractions but I want to fight for the belief that they are not stronger than a community that chooses to unite.
As someone who has built a life around choice and vision, I know we can have better systems. We can stand with teachers, parents, and students to say that public education isn’t just a service—it’s the foundation of opportunity, freedom, and choice.
And when we feel overwhelmed by the enormity of it all, we can remember this — being a community that builds beyond the noise means showing up, even when it’s uncomfortable. It means holding the line against what and who are trying to rip us apart. It means committing to solutions and conversations that heal and unite, not divide and destroy.
Hesitant But Not Hopeless
It’s easy to feel hopeless. But I’m not. I believe in the power of people to come together for the common good. I believe in the resilience of communities that refuse to let their schools, their kids, and their futures be sold off to the highest bidder.
And I believe that our voices—when used with courage and intention—can be a force for change.
So yes, I’m scared. Yes, I’m disgusted by what’s happening. But I’m also committed to being part of the solution. My kids deserve it. Your kids deserve it. Our communities deserve it.
Let’s refuse to let history repeat itself.
So here’s my question- how do we prepare for impact?
