Newton County School Superintendent Gary Mathews recently talked about the state of our school system at a civic club meeting.

He was straightforward, and what the group heard was not good news on the state of our schools. It was probably the first time that they had been told the grim reality of how far our school system has fallen.

The audience sat in stunned silence when he was finished.

Mathews offered solutions on how that slide into mediocrity was going to stop and shed some light on what his intentions were to see that this was going to happen.

He made it clear that we have good teachers in Newton County, but he wants to ensure that each administrator and teacher will be held accountable for the education of our children.

Mathews could have added that it will also take accountability on the part of every parent who has a child in the system to reach that goal.

He also could have added that every business and community leader needs to be held accountable to ensure that we have a school system that not only educates children so they are properly prepared for college or to enter the business world, but also reflects the values that will attract new business to our community.

Without this accountability, neither our children nor our community will prosper.