LETTERS TO THE EDITOR; GOOD REASON TO BACK BONDS

To the editor:

On July 24 I toured R.O. Hawkins Junior High School in Jackson. Although I have lived in Jackson 33 years, I did not graduate from Jackson, so this was the first time I had been through that building. Our tour guide was a nice young lady who went through the building with us and explained the various sections of the building, telling how each area was originally used and what function it serves now. This tour was very educational and enlightening.

We proceeded down a set of stairs into an area that I was informed was underneath the stage and band room. I was shown two rooms that could better be described as dungeons in the worst sense. These rooms originally were storage rooms for band instruments but were later converted to classrooms. Further along the tour, I noticed several holes in the ceiling of the basement. I was told these holes were caused by the removal of asbestos.

I have kids who come to my door selling candy and cut flowers for Notre Dame High School, the Christian academy and the new Lutheran school. Even though my kid does not go to these schools, I contribute. I always buy from these kids, because I believe these kids are the future of our community.

My secretary lives in the Nell Holcomb School District. The Nell Holcomb kids, upon completing the eighth grade, have the option of going to either the Jackson School District or the Cape Girardeau School District. She tells me approximately 80 percent of these kids' parents choose to send them to the Jackson School District simply because it is the Jackson School District.

I read two different letters to the editor. Each has a completely different take on the situation. One states the Jackson district needs to have a consultant come in and tell us what we need to do. In 32 years in the insurance business, I have seen a lot of consultants to the insurance industry. Most of the time, these consultants are people who could not sell insurance and could not make it in the insurance industry. So they become consultants. We do not need a bunch of consultants to come in and tell us what the Jackson district needs. We know what our district needs. It needs adequate facilities for our children. The absolute last thing we need to do is waste $50,000 on a bunch of people to tell us what we already know.

The other letter writer is quite correct when he states that there is a small group of people who have no agenda other than to get the school board or school system. They don't care about my kids, your kids or anybody else's kids, let alone their own kids. They only seek to further their own agenda whatever it might be. It is simply beyond my belief that this community will not support its kids.

For many reasons, the above being just a few, it is my belief that we should vote yes on the upcoming school bond issue.

MICHAEL L. TOMLIN

Jackson