Last week the Selma City School System held a groundbreaking for its new home.

Benjamin Given, president of the school board, and Dr. James Carter, superintendent of the school system, expressed their excitement at finally getting the project off the ground, so to speak.

The new office will be a one-story building located in front of Selma High School on Broad Street. It will be used by central office personnel and will offer certain opportunities to the faculties of the schools with programs such as continuing education and distance learning.

The new facility will have state of the art equipment and officials want to make sure the public feels welcome to stop by once the building is completed.

Mayor James Perkins Jr. said that the facility will let people who come into the community know that the city is dedicated to education. “It’s going to become a symbol for the significance of education within the city of Selma,” Perkins said.

We agree that great strides must be made to make education a priority, in this community or any other. A new facility built to a high standard is one way of letting the public know an emphasis has been placed on education. But, it’s just one step in that process.

The quality of our children’s education is the most important thing we can contribute to the future.

This means changes from the ground up. While this groundbreaking is a great first step, we have to do more in ensuring our teachers and staff have the resources they need. We have to ensure our students are in a safe environment that inspires them to learn.

Encourage your school officials to build on this – and continue to improve our education system.