Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to the readers who have written in about schools of choice and why they feel that this is a racial issue brought about by racist people in the community. I am one of those people who do not want schools of choice in Brandon Township. Quite simply, I feel that only those people who live in our school district should go to school here regardless of whether they are white, black, Asian, or Hispanic. What happened to going to school in the community in which you live? Why is it that if you believe in this concept then you are considered a racist? There tends to be a trend in America that if you have an opinion that is not considered ‘politically correct? then you must have some kind of prejudice. This thinking is just plain wrong and short-sighted.
This being said, I would like to mention that I attended the committee meeting on May 3 with Debra Brady, Debbie Schummer, LeAnne Schmidt, and Lorrie McMahon regarding student/parent relations. The main topic that I and a few others were interested in is the current schools of choice policy. While my prior attendance at the main school board meetings and other meetings with the superintendent have left me feeling quite frustrated with the members and their apparent indifference towards my views opposing schools of choice, I left this meeting feeling different. I feel that these ladies have taken to heart the concerns brought about by members of the community and have made recommendations for changes to the current SOC policy to be taken to, and voted on, by the members of the entire school board. While I would ultimately like to see schools of choice go away completely, I am hopeful that these new recommendations are a step in the right direction and represent the best case scenario right now considering the poor economic climate we are in.
Thenk you Debra, Debbie, LeAnne, and Lorrie for your efforts with this.
Sincerely,
Katherine Carpenter