LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: SCORECARD SHOWS VOTERS SHOULD SUPPORT JACKSON BOND, TAX INCREASE

To the editor:

In my opinion, there are two distinct issues pertaining to the Jackson School District to be decided by voters Aug. 8. They need to be considered separately, each on its own merit.

First is the bond issue to pay for expanding the current junior high school building. Any parent who has had a student at the junior high in the past few years knows this expansion is needed. These kids carry their lockers on their backs, move in mob-like fashion from class to class and meet in janitor closets converted to classrooms. The growing enrollment will no doubt just make the problems worse. If for no other reason, common sense tells me there are serious safety issues here. We need a long-term solution, but we need it now. This bond issue seems to be the most viable option, and we owe it to our children and teachers to vote yes on this bond issue.

The second issue is whether we should put more money into the school system with a 40-cent levy increase. I'm told the money will be used to hire more teachers and support staff, curb deficit spending, expand library and media resources, buy software and textbooks and generally meet the needs of a growing school district. Most people I have talked with say Jackson is a great school system. It's run efficiently, and we just need to invest more money to continue. I do not disagree, but I am a show-me kind of guy. I want to see some evidence that the school system is providing students with a quality education in a cost-effective manner before I am willing to kick in more taxes.

The school administrators have provided us with some information to support these contentions. While I believe they are honorable and their data credible, they are no doubt biased. However, Southeast Missouri State University recently published a report called Southeast Missouri Business Indicators. This report includes several indicators comparing 68 school districts in 21 Southeast Missouri counties plus state averages. The data come directly from the Missouri Department of Education. For my purposes, I would consider it fair and unbiased information.

The report lists seven measure that seem to relate to value in education (quality and cost):

1. Average percent of students in school on any given day. Jackson had a 96 percent average daily attendance. This is better than the state average. And 61 or 68 districts in Southeast Missouri (89.7 percent) were lower. That's pretty good. If kids want to go to school (apparently most Jackson students do), our educators must be doing something right.

2. Percent of an eligible class that gains a high school diploma. Jackson had a higher percentage than 80.9 percent of the districts and was over 12 percent higher than the state average. This should be a minimum goal. I think there is room for improvement, but, by comparison, Jackson scored well.

3. Percent of graduating senior who enroll in college. Not everyone is cut out for higher education. We need high school graduate in our military, work force and other areas that do not require a college education. However, I hope most go on to college, and they do. According to this data, 54.3 percent of Jackson graduates enroll in college. This is slightly fewer than the state average but higher than 85.3 percent of the other Southeast Missouri districts.

4. Percent of a graduating class that scored at or above the national average on the ACT. This seems like an objective measure of whether students are getting the education they need. Jackson seniors are ranked No. 2 in the 68 districts. That is better than the state average and better than 97.1 percent of the Southeast Missouri districts. I am satisfied with that. Actually, I'm kind of proud of that.

5. Percent of teachers with at least a master's degree. I do not think a master's degree necessarily equates to a good teacher. However, when a teacher is dedicated to continuing education, he or she often conveys that passion for learning to students. Some 42.2 percent of Jackson teachers have at least a master's degree. That is higher than 89.7 percent of other Southeast Missouri district and about average for the state. Again, this seems very good.

6. Ratio of students per classroom teacher. This is a tricky one, because it does not tell me actual class size. It may include special-needs classes, labs and kindergarten as well as high school physical education. The actual number is meaningless to me, but the comparison should be valid. Only 27.9 percent of the districts have smaller student-teacher ratios, and we are well below the state average. Teachers, including my dad, say smaller is better, and common sense tells me they are right. Jackson looks good here too.

OK. The combination of these six indicators gives me a sense that Jackson schools are performing very well. Students are getting a good education due to the dedication of great teachers and the support of involved parents. What about cost efficiency? Are administrators managing our money efficiently?

7. Expenditures per student. I do no know that the right dollar figure should be. I just know I did not want to see Jackson at the top of the list. It wasn't. The report says Jackson spends an average of $4,096 per student. Only four of the 68 Southeast Missouri district spend less per student. Over 94 percent spend more. I am OK with that. Therefore, if our enrollment increases every year, we have to put more money into the system to maintain the current level.

I think this report shows some opportunities for im-provement, but overall Jackson is outperforming most of the other Southeast Missouri districts and doing it very economically. If we want to continue in this direction, we will have to vote yes for both the bond issue and the tax increase.

KEVIN SUTTON

Jackson, Mo.