Education is expensive.

Butler County is lucky

we have educators working hard for all students, and the benefits of that hard work is quickly beginning to pay off.

Keeping children up-to-date on the newest technology is one of the most expensive aspects of educating a child these days. Look at the cost of a computer

a consumer can spend $1,000 minimum on a system, and then it likely will be outdated within two years.

Having internet access in every classroom is something that many county school systems do not have. But, here in Butler County students are getting a head start in the world. It is almost unheard of for a student to enter college these days without having a working knowledge of how to find information on the Internet. It is almost a pre-requisite.

But students of the Butler County School System are away ahead of the game thanks to the federal government's E-rate program, and to Butler County educators. The network that is installed throughout the Butler County School System costs approximately $900,000, with 87 percent of that being paid for by the federal government. The remaining 13 percent, which is supposed to come as a local matching fund, is being paid for through grants that Butler County educators have worked hard to receive.

We often criticize our educational leaders and our school system, but, it is these people who are keeping our children ahead of the game, because they genuinely care about their students. These people should be congratulated on their hard work. We should all count our blessings to have such hard workers set examples for our children.