LETTERS: FACTS SUPPORT NEED FOR MORE SCHOOL SPACE IN JACKSON

To the editor:

Jackson School District's student population has grown and continues to do so. Projections are for 3 percent to 4 percent growth in the years to come.

Expenditures continue to rise, and currently the expense ratio is $4,366 per student. This rate is less than area schools of our size, and it is below the statewide averages of $5,911 per student. We are doing more with less. Our schools are delivering quality education more efficiently than most.

R.O. Hawkins Junior High School was built in 1963 and is designed to hold 600 students. A tour of the facility indicates the total number of junior-high students stands at 787. This is not a conducive environment for educating our students. I challenge each of those who will vote in November to tour the facility during the school day, talk with students and talk with our educators. Get the facts. See for yourself.

As Steve Elefson said so well in his recent letter, "The central issue is the district's need for more space at the junior high."

The facts support the need for more space at the junior high, and the solutions cost the average homeowner $2 a month with a yes vote on the Nov. 7 bond issue.

JOHN M. THOMPSON

Jackson, Mo.