Your Opinion: Declining school scores and misplaced priorities

Dear Editor:

Having followed your education coverage, I want to thank you for providing a broader context of the issues. Your Sept. 4 editorial, "Employers lament lack of basic education" and the Sept. 7 article, "Making the grade" shows just where all the area school districts fall within the state measurements and are showing the consequences of poor policies within the Jefferson City School District.

Jefferson City's overall score of 77.9 percent was dismal enough. That only 51.4 percent of students are proficient in English/language arts and math is shocking. Those areas are basics for all future learning. Neighboring districts are all doing much better, many with overall scores in the 90's.

There has been a recent spate of letters and events where teaching professionals have complained about a policy in the elementary schools where entire classrooms are emptied, sometimes for an hour at a time, occasionally more than once in a day, while the teacher deals with one disruptive student. Could this be a reason why our children don't know the basics as well as they should?

However, in the Sept. 9 news was another article, "Caution greets chamber pitch for school land" that sheds further light. In it a school board member notes, "The public schools have a role to play in supporting Jefferson City's economic vitality."

I think the problem with the Jefferson City schools starts with our elected officials who are willing to expend school district assets, paid for through school taxes, for economic development. In a previous letter to the editor I questioned why the district chose to spend nearly a million dollars to renovate board space while just a few miles away are children in a school with documented indoor air quality issues.

To our elected school board I say this: focus on educating our children in a safe and healthy environment and support our teachers. Then, and only then, will our children become the ready workforce needed for an economically vital community.

In closing, I would like to ask the schools to not bring another bond issue to me when you have plenty of money to support high administrative salaries, organizations with high administrative salaries (even if worthy) and questionable money-losing land deals. When you get serious about putting the kids first, then we can talk.