Editorial: Bringing everyone along

Johnston County, thanks in part to its agricultural heritage and manufacturing base, has been an attractive place for Latino immigrants to settle. They are an important part of the growth our community has seen in the past 10 years or so.

They bring with them special challenges, including a language barrier and different cultural values that measure work on a higher scale than education. Those differences weigh on the community’s resources.

The school system in Johnston County has ramped up its efforts to serve Latino students and it’s paying dividends. Test data show Latino students in Johnston County are closing the performance gap with other students. More Hispanic students are staying in school longer.

But it is clearly a focus that cannot fall to the back burner. As new immigrants continue to move here, our schools will continue to face the challenges associated with students who can’t speak or read the language.

And the rest of us would do well to follow the school system’s lead.

They have welcomed – for the most part – these students and taken on the challenges they bring.

Our community as a whole can do better at that, but it takes an open mind and a willing spirit to accept the notion that even Johnston County can be a melting pot.