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A plucky band of public education advocates stood on the steps of the Old Guilford County Courthouse last Friday and called for more school funding.

Good for them. And good luck.

Margaret Arbuckle, executive director of the Guilford Education Alliance, delivered a long and compelling statement to an unfortunately small gathering of media representatives and onlookers. She was backed by several members of her board of directors and other supporters.

No school board members, county commissioners or state legislators were present, which is a shame because they were really the target audience.

Arbuckle, a former county commissioner herself, was not confrontational, but she did challenge the "adult leadership in our community" to do the right thing for children and "provide for their education so they can grow into productive citizens."

This comes in the midst of a terribly rough time for budgeting. Guilford County Schools Superintendent Mo Green last week presented his board with a lean budget that counted on furloughs that aren't going to happen and a $6 million increase in county funding, a request that, as they say all the time on Capitol Hill, looks DOA.

Arbuckle's group isn't prepared to accept that. It will try to engage the public in the budget debate and urge elected officials to improve the schools rather than let them decline through spending cuts that inevitably impact the classroom.

Do they have a chance? These are people who have been involved in successful bond campaigns, where voters have approved borrowing for school construction and renovation with the knowledge that doing so could raise their taxes. Now the cost of paying off those bonds is straining the county's budget. Did the voters mean what their support for bonds implied? If they were willing to pay to build classrooms, will they agree to pay to improve the quality of education inside those classrooms? Can school supporters rally public enthusiasm for that idea?

It's a tough assignment. The economy has taken a dive since those successful bond campaigns. The unemployment rate shot into double digits and won't come down. Family incomes have sunk. Few have money to pay higher taxes.

Besides, Skip Alston and Steve Arnold, the deciders of all things in county government these days, say there won't be a tax increase. Some commissioners are beginning to grumble about the Rule of 2 in Guilford County affairs, but they aren't likely to buck their chairman and vice chairman on this unpopular issue. And, even if the education boosters can inspire people to join their cause, Alston and Arnold are impervious to public pressure. Arnold isn't running for re-election, and no one in Alston's district will challenge him.

Nevertheless, despite the slim chance of success, it's commendable for the Guilford Education Alliance to take on this crusade. Someone needs to keep education at the forefront of public concern so elected officials and the voters understand that these budget cuts may have consequences that will reverberate throughout this community for a long time. If the quality of education declines from its already precarious level, the chances for a brighter future will dim. Kids can't get back the time they lose in schools that aren't giving the education we ought to provide them.

Sure, it's fair to question the impact of budget cuts on the classroom. Money doesn't always translate neatly into quality when it comes to schools. But it's hard to argue schools couldn't do a better job if class sizes were smaller, if teachers had assistants and more time for planning and training, if the best teachers were rewarded with higher pay, if there were more after-school tutors and guidance counselors, if there were more challenging programs for bright students, and if schools that needed them could add security officers to the assigned SROs (instead of removing SROs).

Money can make a difference. Additional funding can help if used effectively, and funding cuts can hurt. As Commissioner Kirk Perkins noted last week, sometimes you end up doing less with less. Anyone else listening?

The subject ought to spawn some long public conversations. Instead, what we've heard from the deciders so far has been No!

Arbuckle and her plucky band of education advocates don't want to take no for an answer. They're encouraging a discussion about all the options, including a tax increase. They're asking others to speak up for schools.

Who's afraid of talking? Maybe someone will come up with a better answer than No!