Don’t link CSAP
with bond issue

The adults involved with schools are the ones who should be held accountable for declining test scores, not the children. That’s everybody from the school board on down to the classroom teachers and parents.
Packing more students in each classroom, ever-more crowded hallways, bathrooms, cafeterias, computer labs and libraries only punishes children.
Every day on my way to work in Fruita, I pass three brand-new subdivisions starting to build out. Where will these families send their children to school? Can employers attract sufficient workers to this community if their children have to attend overcrowded schools?
Ever-more crowded schools simply force the district to adapt as best as possible. Previous “adaptations” included the overwhelmingly dreaded year-round school at Fruita Monument High. One result of that particular solution was that a family might have children with different vacation times.
So who is really the most affected by voting down the next bond issue as the Sentinel suggested might happen? Will that accomplish the Sentinel’s goal of punishing school district employees for third-graders’ poor scores?
BILL SCHAEFER
Grand Junction

Population changes
affect school numbers
Perhaps The Daily Sentinel has cutback and no longer employs an investigative reporter. If it did have such a reporter, articles about our school district might answer these questions:
How has the population changed since the 2004 bond issue passed? How do graduation rates and test scores correlate with this population growth?
How do students who start kindergarten in our school district and attend two, three or four schools before their first CSAP test in third grade affect a school’s score?
What is the difference of scores between students who have transferred into our district and the ones who grow up in this district?
How do our district’s test scores relate to other districts’ in relation to per-student funding?
There are many difficult questions to answer. But the district, from the top down, is working hard to find answers. The new reading framework improves instruction and provides better support for students who are identified as reading below grade level. As a third-grade teacher in this district, I know we are finding answers to some of these questions and I am excited for the opportunities these answers offer my students next year.
The Sentinel editorial said District 51 needs to tell voters how the money it is seeking for new buildings will increase student learning. Studies show that smaller student populations in schools support higher graduation rates, fewer discipline problems, a more challenging education, greater satisfaction for families, students and teachers, a safer environment and — you guessed it — higher achievement.
As citizens, we can’t be educated by “sound bites” written to grab our attention. If we have concerns, we must do research, go to meetings and ask questions until we understand the issues. We owe it to our city and its children to make educated decisions.
KEVIN HARDY
Grand Junction

Penry is a good choice
for Republican leadership
In 2006 at the state Capitol, I had several chances to observe in action now-state Sen. Josh Penry and his fellow Republican state lawmakers. They were refreshing, impressive, intelligent and well organized.
Penry’s anticipating, sharp mind and intuitiveness make him a prime candidate to lead the Colorado state Senate Republican caucus.
I hope this month many will attend the Grand Junction Chamber of Commerce breakfast at Mesa State College to hear Penry speak. If you do, you will see why Penry is an exceptional choice for Colorado Republican leadership circles.
EMZY VEAZY III
Aspen

This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 9:02 am and is filed under Printed letters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.