If we keep cutting education, who is going to count our ball players' money?

In my next life, I’m going to hit the math books more heavily. I might even try to stay awake in algebra class. It seems in all walks of life math is the most-needed skill these days.

Take subtraction, for example.

Right down the road from my office where I sit typing this blog, state lawmakers are doing a lot of math, trying to figure out how to subtract $2.3 billion from $70 billion.

I was always more interested in the social sciences and languages and spent a lot of time on the playing fields and on the wrestling mats. As it turns out, I should have paid more attention in math class (or at least some) or worked harder on my baseball skills.

As our students in public schools and local colleges and universities return to classes this week, that is just good advice for them to follow. I’m hoping our students are taking their math studies seriously.

For years, the gap between our students and those from other nations has been widening in math and sciences. We are seriously behind. No wonder our lawmakers are a bit overwhelmed.

They have to cut $2.3 billion due to revenue shortfalls. That's a great, big number. Let’s look at it written out: $2,300,000,000. The biggest trick in this equation is how to do that without 1) losing their own jobs and 2) creating more long-term harm to the state and its economy.

That makes it more than just a numbers game: It’s one of those long, complicated math equations shown in the form of a word problem. I loved those little stories, until I figured out they were asking me to solve a problem.

If the governor gets his way, $100 million will be cut from education. That was what he recommended to the Legislature. Simple enough. For now. Just wait, though, and see what happens down the road. Wonder why, for example, we are losing jobs to Asian nations? Check their math and science scores and then check ours.

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