LETTERS: SCHOOL CONCERNS

To the editor:

This is in response to Tamara Zellars Buck's column June 21. To begin, let us quote from Romans 14:10, "You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat."

Ms. Buck has written, "How dare anyone judge these schools, neighborhoods or the people who live in them" as a reference to the south part of town. Our question is, "How dare Ms. Buck judge us from one statement, taken from an edited excerpt, over the news broadcast?" How does she know we have never visited these schools lived in these neighborhoods or known people who live in these neighborhoods? Keith has grown up in these neighborhoods. He has attended these same schools. And we do know good people in these neighborhoods. We also realize that bad people do live in good neighborhoods. However, we want better for our children than what their father had. Therefore, we have purchased a home in the Clippard attendance area. Keith has worked two and sometimes three jobs, and at times 80 hours a week, in order to hold onto our home. Our home costs more in this district that the same home would in another district. Therefore, we pay higher taxes. In addition, our homes was just reassessed upwards because of its location. We have a low income level too and have struggled for what we have.

Here is a quote from our letter written to the school, written before the news broadcast. "We realize that this may be offensive to the people who live in the May Greene school district. However, we believe that the majority of the people who live in that area do not want to be there either. And the few who do and are standing up for change are to be commended." How dare Ms. Buck judge us and accuse us of mudslinging from one sentence on a news broadcast? We commend the people trying to better all parts of the town. We are even inclined to jump in and help if needed. But as Ms. Buck has stated herself, some areas do have a higher crime rate. It is a fact. Do we not have a right to protect our children to the best of our ability? That's why we purchased our home where we did. Busing our children is taking away from our rights.

No, our children are not any better than any other children. We have mercy and compassion for the less fortunate children. We sometimes have a yearning to want to help all children, but we are only two and con only do so much, so we are trying to take care of our own. We have often thought about what we would do if we won a million dollars. We would use it to help as many children as we could. Did Ms. Buck know that before she judged us? Did she know we have cared for children in our home of every color -- black, white, Indian, mixed -- and of every income level? We have loved each of them equally.

Here's another quote from our letter to the schools. "We do have one positive thing to say about the whole matter. Through all of our thoughts, we have never once questioned the quality of the teachers at any of the schools. We do believe that the quality of the education itself, no matter which school is attended, will be high." So you see we do agree on one thing with Ms. Buck.

We feel the news people are promoting this issue as a racial issue. News people like to promote controversy, because controversy sells. The neighborhood our children attend school in is only a small part of this issue. We encourage all concerned, especially parents of Clippard kindergartners, to attend the June 30 school board meeting at the junior high school at 6 p.m. Hopefully, all the real issues will be brought about clearly at that meeting.

Let us all pray for all children -- yellow, red, black and white, low income, high income, children in dangerous areas or safe areas -- that all may go well with them, because they are all God's children.

KEITH and CHERYL BRENNECKE

Cape Girardeau