Gettin' Spanked - Not Once, But Twice

Poor Hal Higdon. If anyone is having a bad week, it's the not-so-new President of OTC. First, voters in Tuesday's elections tell the growing school that while their programs are valued, they are not valued enough for added taxes. A school that started out so small, and has accomplished so many BIG things during it's short life, Ozarks Technical Community College will now have to continue turning away students, raise tuition, and hold on additional staffing for the time being.

If that wasn't bad enough, salt was poured on the wound when it became public knowledge that OTC had lost a bid for the former Social Security Office near Police Headquarters, to none other than the Rev. Larry Rice - a man whom both the City of Springfield, and the City of St. Louis would loved to see sucked into a funnel cloud, never to be heard from again. No one wants the homeless, the disadvantaged, and the down on their luck people in their back yard. Springfield city leaders are considering different places for the disenfranchised to go - possibly moving them out of the Commercial Street area to another location where they are "not as visible" to the general public. I've never met him, but I like Larry Rice, and I admire his 35 years of work on behalf of those who don't have anyone else to turn to. Except by the Grace of God, we could be just a paycheck or two from being in that situation.

Back to OTC and poor Dr. Higdon. I would like to give some words of advice and comfort to him: Dr. Hal, we don't hate you or your school. We are proud that OTC has been able to accomplish so much, and we see a bright, shining future ahead. We do, however, hate taxes. Springfield's School Board knows that lesson better than almost ANY institution in town. Take a big page from their play-book. Get a focused message together. What will the money do, how will it benefit the kids, and why should I fork over an extra $22 per year in taxes for my $100,000 home for their benefit? Once you've got the message, condense it into easy to read graphic boards, sound bytes for tv, radio, and newspapers, and above all, make sure that a 4th grader could understand it. Once that is done, drive that message home to EVERYONE. Saturate the area and market it heavily. You'll get a win next time around.