BUCKING THE SYSTEM: SCHOOL TAX REASON FOR UNITY, NOT DIVISION

The divisional efforts of some adults in Cape Girardeau are ruining the educational opportunities for our children.

Nowhere is this made plainer than in the NAACP's recent decision to oppose the school bond issue.

Please finish the column before you start calling me out of my name. I'm not a sell-out, nor am I a traitor to my people. I'm a concerned parent and civic-minded person who just wants the best for all kids in Cape Girardeau.

I have the utmost respect for the NAACP and I've known many members of the new administration for most of my life. They are rightly proud of the fact that they are the only civil rights group in Cape Girardeau, and should be applauded for voicing their opinions about what I think are some valid concerns about the school district.

But I think the school bond issue is the wrong forum to use to address their concerns.

A master plan was created after a number of community hearings that outlined how the money gained from the bond issue would be used. If the April measures are both approved, $14 million would be raised. This would be used to renovate and build facilities and to provide for a number of new programs within the district.

The plan would better prepare our students for educational, vocational and professional opportunities in the future by improving the learning quality, technology and atmosphere of the school district.

When I read that about $1.7 million would be used for programming, I thought about the number of jobs that new and improved programming would create. Here's a chance to get more minority faculty and professional staff into the district, I told myself.

That's one of the NAACP's major concerns. It's a valid one.

I've also seen what the district has done and plans to do for at-risk students. Anyone who doesn't believe in the Alternative Education Center should talk to some of the students who attend school there. It's a different atmosphere, and many of the students are thriving in it. It's a good program, and with more resources, it and other programs like it can help lower the drop-out rate within the district.

This is another concern the NAACP has and it, too, is a valid one.

What I didn't notice in the master plan was a provision for cultural sensitivity workshops for the faculty and staff. The NAACP is pushing for this, and it's an oversight that I believe should be rectified.

However, the master plan does call for an annual review of programming and services AND a provision for more in-service training workshops for teachers. There's the opportunity for a compromise that would benefit everyone involved.

The bond issue would make a lot of changes to the existing school organization. All of the buildings would be utilized, but the push would be for smaller, more specialized learning centers.

There should be no question that this school district needs new facilities. Several of the buildings are old and are or soon will be safety hazards and I don't want to see a child hurt because the district tried to "make do."

And on the subject of neighborhood schools, I can only say that they are very important to creating cultural and historical bonds to the community, but sometimes we can learn more about our community by being exposed to other sections of it.

The bottom line is the school bond issue would benefit the kids of Cape Girardeau, regardless of race, religion or other factors. The NAACP has some very legitimate concerns that should not be pushed aside.

However, I truly believe that with a strong COMMUNITY effort to improve the soundness of our school district, we can watch something grow that everyone can be proud of.

United we'll grow. Divided we'll fail.

~Tamara Zellars Buck is a staff writer for the Southeast Missourian.