DATE: Monday, May 19, 1997                  TAG: 9705190078

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B3   EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA 

TYPE: Letter 

                                            LENGTH:  183 lines

MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

To the Editor:

It's easy to see that this is not an election year. If it were, our county commissioners would be vying for the lowest possible tax rate, or better yet, a 1-cent increase in sales tax when the school bond referendum passes. This would provide the monies needed to pay off the school bond.

I've been distressed at the mean-spirited and selfish attitude of some and the campaign against the passage of the referendum. All children in this county will benefit when it is passed.

It seems that the education of the children is low on the list of some people in our county. What a shame!

Janelle Perry

Kitty Hawk

To the Editor:

The day of the vote is nearly here, and most of us are glad that the voter finally has the opportunity to settle the first phase of our school debate: The actual bond.

In Dare County we have seen a display of discord that we all have to admit is a disgrace, if the goal is to show our children how to accomplish community goals. High school students voiced their opinion in favor of a single high school; a bond proponent dismissed this simply by saying that ``he would not let his high school children deal with his stock portfolio either!'' Some seventh-grade students expressed their opinion only to see their teacher have a confrontation with the school board chair in the hallway. How does the school board think that a community will support a bond of this magnitude if teachers, staff and PTA are not endorsing the proposals, and even our Chamber of Commerce members voted in a poll against the proposal?

Is there a positive side to this issue? Yes, there certainly is. This community has finally woken to realize that something needs to be done about our schools and it is not just a question of money. We have other problems which are caused by dysfunctional families, of which we have many in our community.

These teachers are our front line and they need real support for their daunting work. If all these bond supporters and opponents stay involved and help our schools after the vote, then we have achieved something, whatever the outcome of the vote.

Why are we against this bond? Yes, there is the issue of tax, of equitable distribution of assets and all these points which by now are well known. The real issue is that we do not need a shiny facade of new buildings, but we need new community involvement and financial and parental teacher support in our schools.

Until we can go to the voters with true educational goals, which are supported by our teachers, the faculty, the PTAs, the parents and he administration, we should not be asking for more money. There is not a voter in this county who is against education! We just have not made a good case for it.

By voting no on May 20th, you do not take educational opportunities away from our children, but you open the door for real change in the way we deliver education in our community.

Uli Bennewitz

Manteo

To the Editor:

The people of Dare County should support and vote to approve the bond issue on May 20th. The only future we have is in our children and grandchildren. As a teacher in the middle, high school and colleges for 42 years, I know that each child should have the opportunity of attending an excellent school facility with outstanding teachers.

The children do not need a long bus ride to overflowing classrooms, bathrooms and cafeterias. The superintendent should always make sure that politics stop at the schoolhouse door.

Sincerely,

Charles D. Walters

Kill Devil Hills

To the Editor:

The reason the people of Hatteras Island are against the bond is, NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE! Our elementary students will still be in the same building as our high school students, we have no guarantee that we will be gaining any more classroom space, yet we are being asked to finance a $25 million high school for the beach area.

Also, why build a new elementary school in Manteo when their enrollment is going down at nearly 3 percent a year and Cape Hatteras's enrollment is going up at nearly 6 percent? The logic in that reasoning is downright stupid. Why spend $8 million to build a school that you do not need and not spend money where an obvious need exists?

The board has publicly stated that Cape Hatteras will HAVE to have elementary school in three to five years. Why not take the money designated for the new proposed Manteo Elementary School, which is not needed, and shift to Cape Hatteras where a need exists?

Let me say that I am all for education and the needs of the children of Dare County. However, this bond proposal does not address those needs! Until those needs are addressed, there is no way I can support this bond issue.

Joseph Farrow Jr.

Buxton, N.C.

To the Editor:

I am absolutely convinced that by adding to our existing facilities, correcting maintenance deficiencies not previously addressed, and utilizing one of the plans previously proposed, the county can, through Certificate of Participation bonds, buy time for the adequate planning of our future educational needs in Dare County.

Do not give in to scare tactics and threats by special interest groups with agendas other than educational priorities. After this bond is defeated, I am certain that an appropriate bond addressing our priority needs will be developed; we will develop sufficient classroom space, and our schools will continue to improve.

Secondly, our classrooms are extremely important, but the economic health of our county is equally vital to our children's future. It does not make sense to say that we should allow our past mistakes to force us to proceed with a poorly planned bond. Previous studies have made recommendations that would eliminate the crowded conditions, yet these recommendations have not been followed. The Board of Education has selected only those few items from previous studies that support the current bond.

Thirdly, do not be trapped into believing that the Michigan study is the ``answer'' for education in Dare County. I have recently read with interest the school board's position relative to the ideal size for split high schools. They have quoted the University of Michigan study indicating that the ideal school size is in the range of 600-900. This apparently is being utilized to justify their position concerning the splitting of Manteo High School into two smaller ``separate, but equal'' schools.

What the administration and School Board have done is take from these studies whey they want to tell you and exclude anything that might cause you to vote against the bond. For instance, did you know that these studies show the schools less than 600 are schools with a restricted curriculum?

I plan to vote NO on May 20th and ask you to join me insisting that our school board and administrators open their minds, put aside personal preferences, and re-draw a new bond package that will utilize every tax dollar to satisfy our most pressing educational needs, not just our wants.

Walter Holton, M.D.

Manteo

To the Editor:

Over the past several months, I have observed, with much dismay, the discussions, debates and, ultimately, division that have occurred in our community over the proposed renovations and new school building projects and subsequent bond referendum. When the school renovation-building issue was first considered, curriculum concerns were given as the reason such a proposal should not be adopted. This was followed in succession by segregation-cultural diversity issues and finally, the real issue - taxes.

During this process, community has been alienated from community, and friends have been alienated from friends, ultimately resulting in our attention being diverted from the main issue - meeting the educational needs of all the students in Dare County.

Most distressing of all these issues is the fact that our communities have become divided in the name of a ``what's in it for me'' attitude when it comes to the school bond issue. Instead of concentrating on providing the best possible education for all our students and working with each other to do so, we have stooped to pointing fingers, neglecting friendships, and most importantly, failing to meet our moral and ethical obligation to our future - our children.

As a teacher and school administrator (K-12) for more than 25 years, the diversion from the issue of meeting our children's educational needs is unacceptable. I challenge each citizen of this community to work with each other to enrich the curriculum, to encourage he acceptance of each other with our cultural diversity, and to support the bond issue for our future - our children.

Charlotte Fontana Draper

Kitty Hawk

To the Editor:

I know you have received many letters covering every aspect of the controversial school bond, but I felt compelled to send you a brief note summarizing the basis for my support of the bond.

Unfortunately, there are near and intermediate term trends unfolding that could preclude another bond issue during the next decade or so. In effect, this may be the children's only chance for quality facilities and the only chance for the space to provide smaller class sizes so important to quality education.

The School Board fully recognizes the importance of curriculum to quality education, and Loretta Michael and the curriculum committee have worked tirelessly toward improving the curriculum in Dare County schools. The School Board assuredly recognizes that teachers are at the heart of education. They upgrade staff quality at every opportunity and have received severe criticism for hiring ``outsiders'' at the expense of ``locals.'' The School Board, regardless of what you may have read or heard, are decent folks trying their best to do what is right for all of Dare County's children. Much of the opposition is based on fear of change.

I am not at all confident that the bond will pass, but my conscience dictates that I support this effort because it is right. I am discouraged, but I have ``tilted at windmills'' before, and I have not given up on humanity. I hope you will join me in this crusade for right.

J. Martin Booth

Kitty Hawk

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