The community came together Thursday night for the first of four public meetings designed to articulate a vision for Decatur City Schools.

About 80 people took time to attend the meeting.

The basic question for all who attended was simple to say but complex to answer: Where do they want the school system to be in the future, and how will it get there?

In this first meeting, few pushed for consolidation of the high schools, but many recognized the need for renovation and modernization of all schools.

Numerous ideas came up, including more pre-kindergarten and after-school programs.

The people also expressed concern. They were worried about the dropout rate, above the state average and much higher than in neighboring school districts.

They were concerned about the challenges faced by the 62 percent of Decatur students who live in low-income households.

Maybe most important, the attendees — voters and taxpayers — saw education as central to the city's future.

They uniformly recognized the quality of education is important not just to students and parents, but to the goal of a united and thriving Decatur.

It's not too late to have input in this important process.

The next public meeting is 5:30 p.m. Monday at Decatur High School. On Tuesday, there will be an 11 a.m. meeting at the BBVA Compass downtown branch, followed by a 5:30 p.m. meeting at Austin High School.

If you care about the future of our city and our kids — and we suspect most do — you should be there.