TPS grad urges OK of tax levy

10/31/2012
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Pass­ing Is­sue 20 will al­low cur­rent and fu­ture Toledo Pub­lic Schools stu­dents to re­ceive the high-qual­ity ed­u­ca­tion that ev­ery child de­serves (“Yes on Is­sue 20,” ed­i­to­rial, Oct. 14).

I am a for­mer TPS stu­dent who has moved on to the Univer­sity of Toledo. I am proud to say I got my ac­a­demic start in TPS.

An im­proved TPS would ben­e­fit our com­mu­nity. We hear about crime prob­lems in Toledo. Ac­cord­ing to the Al­liance for Ex­cel­lent Ed­u­ca­tion, a 10 per­cent in­crease in the high school grad­u­a­tion rate for males would re­duce mur­der and as­sault ar­rest rates by about 20 per­cent, mo­tor ve­hi­cle theft by 13 per­cent, and ar­son by 8 per­cent.

If TPS im­proves thanks to the pas­sage of Is­sue 20, then male grad­u­a­tion rates likely will rise and could con­trib­ute to a safer Toledo.

MORGAN HESTER

289th Street

 

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Teacher in­vites pub­lic to help

As a teacher in Toledo Pub­lic Schools, I am not blinded by the need for more ac­count­abil­ity and change. How­ever, there is not ut­ter chaos as some, who per­haps have never en­tered a TPS school, would sug­gest.

For more than six hours a day, our stu­dents are ex­posed to a safe, car­ing en­vi­ron­ment. They are chal­lenged ac­a­dem­i­cally, are taught crit­i­cal think­ing skills, and see adults as moral role mod­els.

I in­vite any­one who doubts this to visit a TPS school and ob­serve the staff’s ded­i­ca­tion and com­mit­ment. People are quick to con­demn, but slow to get in­volved and make a dif­fer­ence. For ev­ery neg­a­tive story, pos­i­tive ones go un­no­ticed.

I have taken pay con­ces­sions and in­creased my health-care con­tri­bu­tions. I will vote for the levy even though I will pay more in taxes.

I am will­ing to make this sac­ri­fice to en­sure a child has the foun­da­tion to build a bet­ter life through mean­ing­ful ed­u­ca­tion. The value of ed­u­cat­ing our chil­dren does not have a price tag.

ROBYN HAGE

Rich­mond Road


Blam­ing teach­ers is out of line

I am a teacher in Toledo Pub­lic Schools who is sick of be­ing blamed for ev­ery­thing wrong with the ed­u­ca­tional sys­tem. Some par­ents and stu­dents dis­re­spect teach­ers daily. Some stu­dents are ex­posed to drug abuse, ne­glect, and jailed par­ents.

When these chil­dren come to school, we do ev­ery­thing we can to help them deal with their lives. Then we teach.

I in­vite any­one to spend one day in my school and learn the truth that teach­ers deal with ev­ery day. It speaks to our love of chil­dren and knowl­edge that there are any teach­ers left at all.

CAROL FOSTER

Maumee

 

TPS seems to ig­nore ba­sics

I can’t tell how many times I have seen young peo­ple hold­ing a pen or pen­cil in a claw-like fist, be­cause Toledo pub­lic schools no lon­ger teach pen­man­ship. Ignor­ing such a ba­sic form of com­mu­ni­ca­tion is short­sighted.

TPS is again ask­ing for money to make fur­ther in­no­va­tions in ed­u­ca­tion. It seems to me TPS is ig­nor­ing the ba­sics.

RICHARD REDER

Fox­croft Road