The massive budget cuts looming for school districts across Colorado this year should make us all cringe, regardless of whether we have an active stake in the public education system or not.

    Yes, logic dictates that when a state is facing a massive budget shortfall such as the state of Colorado, no stone should be left unturned to make up the difference.

    Still, cuts to public education have all the same feel of the parent sneaking into their child’s bedroom in the middle of the night to steal money from their piggybank.

    No one could anticipate the large economic meltdown our country would endure and the lingering trickle-down effect. Still, there should be no pride in having to steal from our children because we can’t pay our bills.

    Cutting from public education may be a short-term solution to aid the state in filling its budget gap. However, we should worry about the long-term ramifications. We should be devoting every penny to education, to giving our children the chance to be successful, giving them the tools to compete in the highly competitive, global economy.

    Instead, we find ourselves in the position of shortchanging our children, taking resources out of teachers’ hands and taking school superintendents from the business of educating our children and turning them into money managers.

    The state should take the money it needs to pay its bills. But at some point, the money being pick-pocketed from educating our young people needs to be returned.

    We’ll regret it if we don’t.