From The Editors

mrkamm

Fill in the blank: The future of education is: _________.

Before you're quick to jump to conclusions, that's no typo or accidental re-print.

In our last issue, after we posed that question in From the Editors, we said the answer was "technology" for some of Erie's students, as our cover story, "Dawn of a New Era" revealed that three high schools will trade textbooks for iPads next year. We then asked what this means for those not receiving that technology--are they being left behind?

But what about those attending schools where the budget's being laid into with a hatchet? Cuts at the state level mean Erie needs a plan, as the Gem City stands in the middle of a school-budget crisis. Jay Stevens takes a look at what current movers and shakers in the midst of the crisis are doing to make sure we're not leaving any of our students behind.

As we ponder what's to come of the education of our youth, we can take a minute to celebrate the accomplishments of young musicians in the area in this issue. First, Ben Speggen tells us You Ought to Know Bryan Schwab, the 14-year-old guitar phenom living in Oil City. Little over a year ago, Schwab shared the stage in Erie with living blues legend Buddy Guy. In addition to Schwab, we check back in with the High School Rock Challenge, as Alex Bieler--and his truck, Big Ol' Sexy--headed to the final night of competition.

High School Rock Challenge isn't the only piece we're returning to. In this issue, we check back in to see the Eerie Roller Girls in their first home bout of the season, as Julia Nene takes us rink-side. And Rebecca Styn spends time in this issue's About Town talking about more nonviolence initiatives with S.T.O.P. Violence.

And speaking of return, Jay Stevens tell us of the recent dry-docking of the Flagship Niagara and its return to Erie--good news we can all celebrate.

With a year under our belts, we're happy to be sharing these great stories with you, but sometimes merely shining a light on stories isn't enough. That's why we're proud to announce the Erie Reader 2012 Downtown Debate Series. In this issue's Upfront, Cory Vaillancourt introduces you to what he calls problemtunities, unique problems and opportunities facing our community. To take a proactive role to drive discussion in addressing these problemtunities, as Cory puts it, we're taking initiative and hosting these debates for you that are free and open to the public to not only attend but participate in. How, you ask? Read this issue's Tech Watch to see how we're using social media to ensure this is an active conversation, not a passive one.

From Day 1, Erie Reader's been pro-Erie, highlighting the great stories happening in our city. Now we're taking the next step to help ensure our future is a bright one by giving you access to the people who will be making decisions in Harrisburg that affect us, like ones concerning the future of public education.