When talking about the upcoming closing of the Child Development Center, all the teachers expressed sadness. Some had to fight back tears.

They talked about how it wasn’t fair, and how you never go into teaching for the money. They lament losing their jobs in May, but their primary concern is the loss of an educational, affordable experience for their students.

The news was formally released Jan. 22 in an e-mail to the campus community. Dana Forsythe, director of the CDC found out early that morning – from one of her practicum students.

Madison Wise, a full-time teacher at the center, was hired right before Missouri Southern announced a hiring freeze and she felt lucky. Now, less than three months later, she, her co-workers and the men’s head soccer coach are being told their jobs no longer exsist.

Belt tightening is something we all understand. But making cuts at the expense of a valuable service to our student parents, our professors and our elementary education majors is crippling, in addition to looking ugly in the community.

Sooner or later, extras like a major sports program need to be deemed less sacred cows.

For now, students and children take the hit.As one CDC teacher said of her students, “they’ll love it, as long as you have something new for them everyday.”

That teacher seems to understand priorities and get it. It’s a shame the administration doesn’t.

It seems that to it, the children aren’t our future after all.