Let teachers teach and experts protect

I do not agree that we should arm teachers or other staff in our school buildings.

Because I am so proud of this school district and all we have accomplished in the last decade, I find this discussion of arming staff a needless and divisive distraction. We are better and smarter than this.

Thanks to highly qualified professional financial management we have moved from a district with deficit funding in the early 2000s to one of the most financially healthy districts in the state. We have had year after year of A+ audits, and have managed to maintain a reserve fund despite reduced funding from the state.

Professional educational leadership was absent in the early 2000s. Under board leadership of former chair Vickie Pfeifer, things began to change. First, Mark Berryhill was hired as superintendent to lead the district beyond the difficult and contentious years. Then we were fortunate to recruit an outstanding leader in Dick Cvitanich. Could we be that lucky again? Yes. We now have the excellent leadership skills of Shawn Woodward.

During this time we have seen steady improvement in student achievement and teacher effectiveness. Ten of our 11 schools have four- or five-star status. We have a national Blue Ribbon school. More graduates than ever are going on to post-secondary education. And so much more.

How did this happen? We had highly qualified professional educators and a cohesive board that had the good sense not only to hire them, but to listen to them. And — of course — the growing support of patrons who liked what they saw happening with our schools and began approving school levies.

My point is that qualified, experienced professionals matter, whether in finance, education, or school safety.

Why then, if the worst thing any of us can imagine were to happen here, should we rely on amateurs to protect our children?

That makes no sense. It is time to move on.

MINDY CAMERON

Sagle