Letters to the editor

Vote 'yes' for school levy

Dear Nevada R-5 patrons:

The board of education would like to thank the patrons of Nevada for their continued support of our schools. We are so very fortunate to be able to offer our students a positive array of quality instructional educational programs. The Nevada R-5 School District is accredited with distinction for high achievement, which translates to academic performance that just 15 percent of the schools in the state of Missouri may claim.

Our teachers, administrators and students have worked very hard to attain this level of achievement.

We were able to meet this level of excellence because of you, the citizens of this community.

However, because of inadequate funding from the state, the quality of education we offer our students is in jeopardy. Last year our funding was cut by $800,000. This is a large sum of money for a small school. We reduced 12 teaching positions and 13 non-instructional positions. These reductions were made without increasing class sizes in the elementary grade levels. However, our middle school and high school offerings were reduced and class sizes increased from an average of 24 students per teacher to about 28 students per teacher. We pray these cuts did not affect the quality of education that we provide for our children.

This year will be different. Our schools are facing a $1.3 million deficit budget because of insufficient state funding. This will be devastating to the excellent education our students have been so accustomed to receiving. Reducing our budget by $1.3 million will compromise the quality of education our students receive by increasing class sizes at all grade levels, cutting programs and activities which enhance education, and it will reduce our ability to effectively maintain our facilities. This will be detrimental to our children and our community. Our financial problems are directly related to the state's inability to fund schools at the legally established level. We need your help!

On Aug. 3, the board of education will be asking the community of Nevada for a 39-cent tax levy increase. This levy will have a five-year sunset provision which will phase the increase out in the year 2009. A 39-cent tax increase on a $50,000 home will cost the home owner $37 a year on real estate. This would seem to be a small amount given the importance of our children's education. The 39 cents will generate $500,000 locally and $900,000 from the state. Last April, 88 Missouri school districts including Carthage, Bolivar and Webb City, passed levy increases to make-up for their losses in state funding. When these districts passed their levies, they leveraged additional state funds, resulting in even less state funding for Nevada, thus making it more difficult to prepare our students for their futures. Please vote "YES" in support of the Aug. 3 levy increase to support education programs and our children. It is up to us to support our schools and our children and receive our fair share of state revenue.

Our schools are a great asset to our community. Families and businesses are choosing to locate in the Nevada area because of our supportive community and excellent school system.

This is a credit to its citizens for their continued interest in the betterment of our community and our schools. The future of Nevada R-5 is important to all of us as businessmen and women, parents and grandparents, and most of all, to our children. We are asking you, on behalf of our students, to provide our schools with the opportunity to continue offering an excellent quality of education to all children of the Nevada R-5 School District.

Please support this critical issue on Aug. 3.

Thank you for your continued support.

-- Jan Benbrook, Steve Cubbage, Chris Ellis, Larry Forkner, Joy Hawks, Scott Kennedy,

Warren Lovinger

Nevada R-5 School District, Board of Education

Senior center misunderstanding

Dear editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to respond to Ms. Mable McGee's letter to the editor on May 27. It was a very busy morning with two groups of seniors visiting the Vernon County Senior Center from adjoining counties. While visiting with both groups I apologized to them for the inconvenience they may have encountered in finding the new senior center. They were not familiar with the description of "just off the Square" and totally understood that we had just moved within the last three weeks and not all details of the centers operation had been addressed.

Ms. McGee approached me at the beverage counter and wanted. to know why 'Senior Center' was not on the sign outside as the guests today went around the block three times to find the center. I told her the city put that sign up when the building was built and I don't think they will put senior center on it now. Later that afternoon I did ask about a temporary sign to put in the ground that might indicate this was the senior center.

At the ribbon cutting ceremony the next day, in the speaker's presentation it was mentioned a sign had been planned to be put on the building but wasn't done yet. Since that ceremony the exact dimensions have been taken and the signage has been ordered. It is a matter of time before it will be completed, delivered and attached to the outside front of the building.

The city of Nevada, The Friends of the Vernon County Senior, Inc., District III AAA, myself and the staff of the center have worked very closely together for several months to make the move from the previous location at Crawford House to the senior centers new home in the Neal Center a smooth transition. Many changes have occurred in this short time including extending the serving hour, initiating a contract with OATS for daily transportation from the Crawford House to the Neal Center location for the seniors who wish to utilize it, as well as recruiting volunteers to help out in the center. It's a bigger operation to maintain now.

I feel Ms. McGee misunderstood my comments about the 'Senior Center' sign not being outside the building and did not accurately represent our conversation in her letter as I never implied, referred to or said this was not a senior center. As it is my intent as well as the staff of the center to work with all seniors, volunteers, and members of this community in Nevada on the promotion of the Vernon County Senior Center its programs, services and activities.

-- Chris Hopkins,

Senior Services Director

Vernon County

Nothing's more important than the children

Dear editor:

I did not attend Nevada Schools when I was a child, and my children attended Nash School in the old Deerfield School System, so I have no alumni loyalty to the Nevada school system. But I am still very interested in our schools. I am very proud that my home town has such a highly accredited system. I was very pleased with the help my great granddaughter received when she was attending the different elementary schools when they lived here.

I also know that a good school system is essential to the economic health of a town.

So, I plan to vote yes on the school levy election on Aug. 3. Nothing is more important than giving our children and youth a good education.

Limiting the programs because of budget decreases is not the right direction to go.

My few cents of extra taxes will be repaid and more by maintaining the excellent program now in place in our schools.

I hope many other middle age plus residents will join me in putting our children first.

-- Carolyn Gray Thornton