NEVC School issue

Dear Editor:

I'm glad I live in America where differences of opinions are settled at the ballot box and not by a dictator. I'm also glad to live in a country where opinions may be voiced without fear of retaliation. I'm proud to live in northeast Vernon County in Missouri where people have an opinion and will voice it. Since none of us have a corner on the world's knowledge that is how we get the very best, by working together.

I'm proud of our NEVC school board and staff. I believe they've done the very best there is to do. We are still a school district and a community, and I feel the majority will want to continue. Why would we want to consolidate with Nevada when the first thing to be done would be building more buildings and increasing the tax rate? We wouldn't have a local person on the board or any input in our children's education. There would be a few opportunities that are not available locally, but our community would be lost and this in turn would affect our churches. Let's keep our kids in our community where they belong and not be a satellite of Nevada.

We just have some buildings that we have to figure out what to do with. So it's back to the planning board. If you want the figures for what it would cost to tear down the three-story building at the Walker campus and replace it with classrooms -- let the school board know your opinion. If we want to continue with the two school campuses that is also a viable solution. It would have been nice to have a new school, but we can function without one -- buildings do not make the school. The important thing is that we give our children an education which will allow them to be all they can be. In this day and age there is no need for children to have to be on a school bus for 70 to 150 miles a day. Not only is that time wasted for the child and provides the opportunity for any number of problems, but there is always the danger of an accident on the busy highways.

With Internet connections at their fingertips, they are connected to the world, but there will never be a time when there is not a need for trained, compassionate teachers. I have discovered we have them at NEVC.

Don't we have any rich alumni from the NEVC area? Maybe someone would like to donate a room, or even a school. Finis Moss was from this area. Surely his trust fund would be a good source for matching funds. As a community, we can raise the necessary funds for an agreed on choice for a building, and we can do it without any taxpayer's money. We can have benefits, fund raisers, what ever it takes. The choice is ours.

History sometimes repeats itself, but let's hope that we get our school issue settled in less that the 17 elections that were held before the three-story school building was approved at Walker in 1929.

Nevertheless, this is still America where everyone is encouraged to learn the facts, have the right to their own opinion, and use that knowledge for the betterment of our community.

Cordially,

Neoma Foreman

Walker