To the Editor:
Recently, the Courier Press ran a story about a letter asking for campaign contributions to support the incumbent school board members. I was surprised to see the letter in the paper because solicitation letters are not newsworthy. The letter made it sound as though it is a threat to public education that these men have to run against opponents. Personally, I am thrilled that the voters have choices for the school board elections. I have spoken to Jean Webb and Ann Ennis and find that they have a deep understanding of current education issues. We need more citizens willing to do their part in public education.
The letter would have us believe that these school board members have improved public education. Nothing could be further from the truth. As a retired EVSC teacher, I can tell you that these members have only rubber-stamped an agenda that is making EVSC schools weaker and less safe for students. One of the most troubling issues is teacher morale. EVSC administration and the Board have made it clear that teacher morale does not concern them. Because of the low morale, the teacher attrition rate in the EVSC has skyrocketed. According to the Board minutes, 113 teachers have resigned (not retired) from the EVSC in the first nine months of 2018. That is an average of almost 13 teachers every month! I have heard Dr. Smith tell the Board that these teachers have spouses who were transferred, but in the majority of cases, this is not the case. Many of the teachers leave to teach in other local school corporations where teachers are given manageable workloads and treated with respect. Because of this high resignation rate, the EVSC has filled several positions with substitutes or with people who have not passed their teacher certification exams. These actions have weakened the education that our children are receiving.
A second major issue in the EVSC is the terrible condition of our schools. Many schools in the EVSC have water pouring through roofs when it rains, torn and stained carpeting, crumbling parking lots, and serious mold issues. I personally have worked in buildings with all of these issues. When teachers question why their buildings aren’t repaired, they are told that there is no money because it was all spent on the McCutchanville school. What message do poorly maintained buildings send to the thousands of students who attend other schools?
Before you vote, please ask an EVSC teacher about teacher morale and the condition of their school building. If you are as disappointed in the current board as I am, please make sure you go to the end of the ballot and vote. All county residents can vote in all races. Please consider voting for Jean Webb, Ann Ennis, Melissa Moore, David Hollingsworth, and Clark Exmeyer. Our children deserve better than the current School Board.
Sincerely, Carolyn Bennett
