Strengthen our schools

"Better is the enemy of good" -- Voltaire

The Cape Girardeau Public School District recently created and adopted a strategic plan, the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan. You can view it at capetigers.com. It covers five specific areas deemed important by the state of Missouri. These five areas provide the basis for the evaluation of the district, from superintendent to classroom teacher. It is the long range vision for performance that guides district employees and board members to improved student success. It is the legacy document needed to keep the district on a steady course for sustained quality improvement.

The recent series of articles regarding the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan and related activities in our schools by Southeast Missourian education reporter M.D. Kittle has provided readers with a sample of some of the accomplishments, experiences and goals for improvement of our school district. These articles emphasize what every teacher knows, that students learn in different ways. Also, it is clear that students come from a variety of backgrounds that mold their interest in learning.

I devote some of my time volunteering as a school board member because I care about successful education in the district. Having the best school district possible makes Cape Girardeau a destination where people want to live and raise their family.

In the preparation for my board work, I discovered that some prison systems use the literacy rate of third-graders in a state to determine how many prison beds will be needed in the future. Such student failure has an economic effect on the community, both directly and indirectly. It is this effect, the diversion of resources, that the community must deal with on a daily basis. A high school diploma provides a sound foundation for other achievements in life.

Goal four of the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan deals with parent and community involvement. Our district benefits from various businesses and organizations in our community that partner with our schools. As much as all of us would like every student to have exemplary parents and an ideal life, reality tells us that we all can use some help at times. The district can use a variety of tools to encourage responsibility. You, a member of our community, can strengthen any weakness that might exist by providing an hour of your time to help in our schools.

I encourage you to call the school of your choice and volunteer for a job that fits your skills. The "Read to Succeed" example provided by Mr. Kittle is an excellent one, but there are many others. This investment in your community and your schools will provide a dividend for all involved.

Historian Daniel J. Boorstin pointed out that "the greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance -- it is the illusion of knowledge." I invite you to come discover the great experience of helping the Cape Girardeau School District move from being good, to better, to one of the best schools in the state. All of our students, staff, parents and community deserve no less.

PAUL L. NENNINGER, president, Cape Girardeau Public School District Board of Education,

Cape Girardeau