Editor,
School elections in Arkansas will take place Sept. 16, 2014. Gentry Schools have a couple of immediate issues to be determined.
First and most pressing, the at-large school board seat will be determined in this election. Having followed the district priorities for some time, I have come to the conclusion that we need new blood on the board. It is apparent that athletics have become the priority of this board.
Not that the board and administration have done anything wrong, I feel they are failing to address some vital issues in our children's education. ACT scores are a measurement of the net result of the efforts of the administration and school board. Gentry's ACT scores are below the Arkansas state averages and as much as 20 percent below the best district scores in the nation in 2013. Something needs attention.
Second, plans are being prepared for the building of a new school to, in effect, replace the intermediate school. Before settling on a plan for this school, it is very important to determine what kind of education we plan for our students. If the plan is to train professional athletes, the new facility should reflect those needs. But, if the desire of the community is to train all of our students for a career superior to that of their parents, investments in technology training, laboratories and superior instructors will be required.
Construction of an intermediate school to replace the current intermediate school is reported to cost about $8 million. Tentative plans for building a high school are estimated at $20 million. Obviously, this pronounced difference indicates a need for a lot of discussion before the issue is settled for the benefit of the students and not the administration.
In 2012, Gentry school district had 3,154 registered voters and had 178 ballots cast. That means 5.6 percent of registered voters determined the outcome. To me, that is an indication of the importance (or lack thereof) Gentry residents put on their children's education.
Al Lemke
Gentry
Editor,
Note for DHA: We don't have enough homeless animals, so you take a lady's pet dog from her and try to turn it over to animal control? You hold secret meetings which are not allowed and you ought to know they aren't? Really? There's enough power-grabbing and overstepping of boundaries on a national level, thank you very much, but no thanks. If the tiniest level of power creates in you this arrogance out of all proportion, it's time to get over yourself or get out.
Becky Mears
Decatur
Editorial on 09/10/2014