LETTERS: JACKSON STUDENTS DESERVE SUPPORT

To the editor:

The Jackson Board of Education election and the bond issue and operations levy campaign have brought out a large amount of strong feelings about our district. Some of the strong opinions concern issues other than the need for new school buildings and additional operating funds. I am sorry other issues are the reason for voting against the future needs of our children, but two wrongs do not make a right. I question whether those with strong feelings against these improvements in our schools are really voting for what is best for the children of our district or whether they are using this election to punish board members and school administrators.

Our students are above state and national averages on statewide standardized tests. Our schools and teachers have recently received state recognition for their high achievement. We receive notification on a regular basis that our students are recognized for prestigious state awards. The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the independent PEER group place Jackson schools in the upper echelon for student performance, teaching and fiscal responsibility. The district is $1,500 under the state average for the cost to educate each child. Jackson has the lowest per-pupil expenditure of the five largest districts in Southeast Missouri. The operating levy increase we are asking for will still leave the district as one of the lowest in this area of the state.

There are questions about the location of the proposed elementary school. The eastern part of our city is the location for a diverse group of homeowners, including many working families living in older homes, apartments and duplexes. It must be a disappointment to these fine families to indicate their children do not deserve a neighborhood school because they live in the wrong neighborhood.

The school board and administration have listened to a facilities advisory committee about the best use of our existing classroom space and have held open hearings in the Gordonville and Millersville communities. The district needs all the room available to its students. We have no intention of reducing the classroom space available to our students in these communities. There are no plans to close these two wonderful schools if a new elementary school is constructed. We need all the space we have.

It is unfortunate that some groups against this election are using tactics that frighten and intimidate those who are for the improvements in our district. Is this the best thing for our children, or is it just some people who are mad at people or groups of people within our district? You must decide what is the legacy we want to pass on to our children. Will it be building up our schools or tearing down our schools?

Your vote on Tuesday decides the future of 4,500 students. I have heard the comment, "I paid for my children's education when they were in school. Now that they are out of school, the families with children in schools can pay for their own children." This is a common error for most of us. The facts are a family with one child living in a $100,000 home between what the state pays for that child and the property tax for the house is still $1,500 short of educating these children. Who pays this extra cost? We all do, and we have for years. We paid property taxes before our children were in school, and we will pay after our children graduate. Who are the "we" in this equation? We are the parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts and neighbors of our children. We are from Jackson, Gordonville, Tilsit, Burfordville, Millersville, Fruitland, Pocahontas, New Wells, Shawneetown and other communities. We are all a part of the Jackson School District.

Jackson is a great place to live and go to school because of the "we" in our community and not the "I." We vote by secret ballot in this great land of ours, as it should be. The only person who needs to know how you voted is you. On Tuesday, let your heart and conscience be your guide to what's right.

GERALD ADAMS

Member

Jackson Board of Education

Jackson