School board has difficult job and other letters to the editor

School board has difficult job

I found the July 25 school board election editorials interesting. The candidates all appear to have strengths to offer. The board has a very difficult job because of the huge district size, local politics and economics, diversity of needs at different schools, and state and federal mandates. No matter who is on the board, it will help to have teaching and financial experience.

It is important to keep good teachers. One cannot quantitatively evaluate what makes teachers great: relationships with kids, parents and colleagues, work ethic, organization, level of interest of lessons, and continuous classroom decision- making. Test scores are easy to compare but they correlate much more with home factors.

KIPP charter schools work because parents contractually agree to support academics and student behavior rules. Small class size is important, and the board should prioritize having more than one adult -- parent volunteer, parapro or co-teacher - in classrooms.

Budgeting must be a creative, efficient process that minimizes classroom cuts. Savings can be made on utilities, busing, schedules and other items.

GARY FURMAN


Many addicted to cheap oil

I am glad you included Americans in the first sentence in your editorial about environmental whackos ("Your new green life," July 28). We lead the world in obesity, consume, at last check, 25 percent of the planet's resources as 5 percent of the population.

We need our supersized houses to fit all the stuff we buy in them. Curious though, when I drive rural roads, older houses for the most part are small.

As for fracking, Mr. Editor, why don't you go live where your well gets poisoned and the ground quakes. Not to mention the roads destroyed by the flow of drilling equipment.

But my take is you are like most Americans - you are addicted to cheap oil and plentiful oil. The petroleum age is what we are in, so live it up. The candle burns for only so long. No doubt your car and house are two of the bigger ones. After all, you can afford the extra oil it takes.

PRENTICE HICKS, Lookout Valley


Small minority can't negate rights

Since believers in Jesus Christ are commanded not to be ashamed of His Name, we must not neglect to use His name in our prayers to our God.

By rights, the atheist, when it is his/her turn to lead the invocation, may call for a minute of silence to honor his non-god.

This nation is founded upon the Bible and biblical principles and law. All races and religions are welcome here, but we who believe in the Creator God should not be required to honor their gods, though we will respect their right to their beliefs.

The government is not establishing the Christian religion; the Christian religion established our government and is not to be negated by a very small minority of persons who object to that.

If they were to try that in a Muslim, Roman Catholic, Hindu or Buddhist land, they wouldn't have a hearing at all. They don't have to worship Jesus, just allow us to without interference.

JACKY MANCHESTER

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