LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: SCHOOL BOARD MUST DO MORE THAN TOLERATE THE PUBLIC

To the Editor:

It should come as no surprise to the Cape school board or to Neyland Clark that the Proposition C rollback failed. The public outcry just before the vote about the decision to allow students that have not met graduation requirements to participate in the graduation ceremonies was a pretty good indication that the school board was not going to be rewarded with an affirmative vote. What is surprising is the total lack of awareness on the part of the school board and the superintendent.

Didn't it dawn on any of them that this might be viewed negatively by the citizens of Cape Girardeau? The school administration was already suffering from a lack of respect and trust by the public. If the board doesn't start paying attention and responding to the criticism leveled against it, no issue brought before the voters of this city by the school administration will pass. In an effort to help the school board out I propose the following:

Have a public board meeting where a policy regarding graduation requirements and requirements for participating in the graduation ceremony are discussed. The board should adopt a written policy, with public input, and adhere to it in all cases. (Public input means that if there is a position shared by a majority of the citizens that wish to participate in the public formulation of a graduation policy, the board will implement the wishes of the public. It does not mean that the board tolerates the public during the meeting and then does what it wants to.)

If the school board will be open with the public and not make decisions that could easily be construed as the socially elite and powerful getting preferential treatment from a school board that is not responsive to the desires of the community, then the district will be able to expect the public to vote for additional monies for schools.

Unless and until that happens they are wasting the public's money bringing anything to a vote.

MARK R. McALLISTER

Cape Girardeau