It’s clearly no secret that transportation is the hot topic of the city, especially among the young professional set. Obviously the environmental impact is a huge benefit of the proposal, as is the attraction of people being able to live a car free lifestyle. I read one argument, though, that declared young professionals are going to leave the city if we don’t get this figured out. Sure, some may, especially those from cities like Chicago or New York who have public transportation in their blood. But while I like the idea of exploring these options–especially on mornings like today’s when I roll out of bed to go to a meeting and find that the roads surrounding my house are a solid sheet of ice–I think there’s a bigger, more important issue we need to tackle to keep young professionals in the city: education.
Photo Credit: WikiProject Public Art via Flickr
A few months ago a college classmate in NYC tweeted me an article about the factors that will lead young professionals to leave metro areas currently experiencing a boom of urban growth. It hit the nail on the head on several points, but none more than public education and the problems many inner city schools face. Living in the city provides lots of wonderful, easy access to culture. And neighborhood renewal projects across the country allow for many beautiful, historic neighborhoods to return to their former glory. But while the twenty-somethings and those in their early thirties are embracing the urban lifestyle, they tend to do one thing: marry and have kids. Sure, there are plenty that won’t decide to go down that path, and I have several friends who are quite sure they don’t want nurseries in their future. Many, though, do want to have a family, and once that becomes a serious part of their life they’re going to do what many have done before: head to Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, and other suburban cities that boast high test scores and kid-friendly neighborhoods.
At 24 I’m already starting to hear these conversations take place. Just a few months ago I listened to a fellow DePauw alum and her fiance discuss their decision to leave Broad Ripple and buy a home in Hamilton County because of the schools. Would this particular couple have stayed if the schools were better? I can’t say for sure, but there are plenty in the same boat. I’ve heard enough twenty-somethings in the area refer to the suburbs as death to know they don’t necessarily want to leave, but they eventually do because it’s often the right family thing to do.
What if the public schools were better? What if kids got a top-rate education while living in a culturally rich area, embracing the city lifestyle and the support of local business? What if that became the better option, rising above cookie-cutter neighborhoods that lack mature trees and history?
Sure, there is the option of private schools, though they certainly don’t always come with a reasonable price tag. Besides, shuttling off the kids to those private institutions as the solution isn’t really a solution at all. It’s a contributor to the problem.
I’m certainly not an expert on educational systems or how we can fix them to be the quality we need (though I have a few ideas…). But I do believe in public schools and their significance in building strong communities and cities. If you truly want Indianapolis to become a mecca for the creative, the educated, the talented and ambitious, then I firmly believe we need to step back and see the public school systems as one of the most pressing issues of attracting and retaining residents in the heart of the city.
