LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

WESTSIDE — Well, I thought I had heard and seen about everything.

I have attended two county fairs, one rodeo, and spent most of my life trying to improve my education. I recently read an article in the Westside Eagle Observer and was shocked and disgusted to learn the plight of parents living in western Benton County who are merely trying to provide a quality education environment for their children.

I am amazed we have a law on the books that prohibits a parent from aspiring to better the educational level of their children. I believe this to be an injustice imposed upon these children through no fault of their own. I do not believe the law was intended to prohibit a parent the opportunity to provide a quality education, however, this is the end result of a law intended to correct an injustice that has created an equally tragic set of circumstances.

Food for thought: Should a child be denied the opportunity to attend an educational facility that has the ability and capacity to prepare them to compete in the future simply due to either being born in a certain school district or having been relocated to the district by their parents? Should a child be denied the chance and opportunity to graduate from high school and later attend a higher educational facility without being subjected to the stigma of having attended and graduated from a school that was unable or failed to provide academics without having to take remedial classes to obtain access to higher education?

As time passes, we all make decisions that seemed sound at the time, but after a few years have passed and with 20-20 vision to look back, we now know we probably would not have made the choice that brought us to our present circumstance. I believe many families remained in northwest Arkansas or moved into this region believing it would provide a better opportunity. Things change as time goes by, employment opportunities dwindle, the economy goes sour, we age, our children mature, institutions change, and these frequently alter our view of life. Should these prohibit a parent from desiring to improve opportunities for their children? Now, don’t jump the gun and say the parents decided to live at a certain physical address so the child has to suffer the consequences and possibly be denied the opportunityto fully develop his or her potential. I believe every child has the capacity and desire to excel.

Do we as taxpayers and citizens of this great state and nation have the audacity and gall to tell a child entering high school or any other grade they cannot simply because of the demographic mix of society? Look around, the world is changing and we must adapt or be swept away with history documenting us as the generation that doomed our community, state, nation and our society to failure or demise.

If you have read any of my previous letters to the editor you are aware that I have an opinion on just about everything. Some are logical and some are not. However, I intend to lay out a couple of items for thought. What options are available for us (you and me) to solve this terrible injustice being imposed on the youngsters?

1. Get the law changed and allow students to attend the school of their parents’choice, starting with the upcoming school year.

2. Immediately (and that means right now and not four or five or twenty years in the future) get the schools in this area all on the same academic agenda, providing equal educational opportunities for every child. This, in my opinion, means the same courses are available in every school district, being taught with teachers of equal qualifications and teaching ability.

3. Consolidate school districts with neighboring districts and provide ample resources to provide quality education. Just because we have always had a school at a particular location does not necessarily mean we have to keep it there forever. Things change and so must we. If we look at Benton County as a whole, I believe the eastern portion supports three school districts, these being Pea Ridge, Bentonville and Rogers, all drawing students from a large geographical area and with large student populations sometimes being transported long distances. These students are afforded the privilege of tailoring their curriculum to their particular needs or desire.

Now, I look westward and see a different story, there being at least four school districts being supported by a much smaller population, also over a vast region. This leads me to believe we have spread our resources too thin and are thus unable to properly and equitably provide quality education for our children.

Has the time come for us residents of Western Benton County to consider the possibility of two mega schools along the Arkansas Highway 59 corridor? This process could and should evolve over a period of about five to 10 years to allow utilization and conversion of existing facilities to serve as feeder facilities for the younger students, therefore keeping them near their neighborhood. This environment of two school districts will/should provide ample resources to offer every student the opportunity to graduate from a traditional high school with the academic credentials to ensure acceptance into any educational institution without the fear of having to take college remedial courses to qualify.

I believe we should solicit and accept the assistance of the entire community, including prominent business/industry entities. I think if western Benton County were to work towards a common educational goal, we will in 10 years be graduating students who are being recruited by higher educational institutions as well as business entities, being recruited because of their educational qualifications to fill the future positions that will gravitate to this region proudly educating the besteducated workforce available in the United States, err, I mean the world.

We should and must give our students the option of achieving things we never dreamed possible. Indeed, it is our obligation to prepare the next generation for the challenges they are likely to encounter.

Education is important for any life-situation decision we may encounter.

William A Carver Gentry

Editor,

I just got back from a trip to town and drove by Mckinley (Kindley) Park. I was very shocked and sad to see that another one of our historical landmarks have been torn down. What happened to the columns (not sure what to call them) pillars on the northwest corner of the park - the ones that on Gravette Day we all walk through to enter the park?

I haven’t read anything about them going to be torn down. Can someone just take it on themselves to tear down anything that they don’t like the looks of without consulting the citizens of Gravette? A couple of years ago we were being threatened that the steps going into Old Town Park were going to be taken out. Thanks to an article that Dodie printed, they were saved - redone - but saved.

What will be next - the gazebo, the airplane? Some of us have spent a lifetime here or many years, and these things mean a lot to us. I am sure that people that have not lived here very long do not care anything about these things. Please stop taking away the things that bring good memories and mean a lot to us. Personally, I think time could be better spent by mowing the sides of the roads and making our town more attractive and safer to drive in. Not long ago the sides were kept mowed and yards were not allowed to grow up like they are now.

Drive down Dallas Street and look at the view there. The old rest home has little trees by the side of the road that make it hard to see and is a real eyesore. There are a lot of abandoned yards that have been allowed to “grow up.”

Just wondering if I am the only one that is bothered by the tearing down and leaving all of the ugly vegetation growth?

Shirley Wallace Gravette