Online exclusive: Letters to the Editor for Sept. 26

9/26/2016

Editor’s note: These letters to the editor did not run in the daily paper.

President Bush did not ignore Louisiana

Your Aug. 21 editorial, “Letter to a vacationing president,” was correct regarding President Obama being AWOL on the first 10 days of flooding in Louisiana. However, when you said President Bush took two days getting to the Katrina tragedy in Louisiana and just flew over, you left out some important facts. Indeed, that did happen on his first trip down there because of the horrific destruction on the ground. Then you said “the president never walked among the victims, or shook their hands, or met their eyes.”

Unfortunately, what you neglected to tell your readers was that President Bush followed up with many trips. And yes, he met with, talked with, and gave comfort to those in need. 

CAROL TAYLOR

Bedford Township

 

Don’t vote Clinton just because she is a woman

If you made the huge mistake of voting for Barack Obama because he would become the first black president, do not make the same devastating mistake of voting for Hillary Clinton because she is a woman. Our country will not survive another eight-year social experiment. President Obama has weakened and crippled our country on so many fronts. He has purposely taken the steps (his hope and change) to make the United States into a toothless lion and Mrs. Clinton will continue the same.

Remember, she was found to be extremely careless, reckless, and grossly negligent by the FBI at the highest classified levels. This would be the minimum standard of guilt for any other U.S. citizen. With her ultra arrogant attitude and her sordid irresponsible record, she is counting on the complacency of most people, hoping they will not pay attention until it is too late. At this point, our country is suffering from Clinton scandal fatigue. Surely, there will be a better woman candidate next time around.

GREG BONNELL

Oregon

 

Teachers deserve to be paid better

If you are a public school teacher and find yourself living from paycheck to paycheck without the ability to save for the extra expenses that invariably arise during the year, there is a reason. Since 1996, the average weekly wage for teachers has decreased by $30, and the wage gap between public sector teachers and other comparable workers has increased.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, teachers’ wages were 17 percent lower than the wages of comparable workers in 2015. Moreover, the wage gap is even worse for public school teachers not covered by collective bargaining agreements. For these teachers, the wage gap in 2015 was a whopping -25.5 percent.

The negative effects of this “teacher pay penalty” can be summed up in two words: recruitment and retention. Recruitment is extremely difficult because fewer and fewer students are willing to pursue a career in education while districts are scrambling to fill hard-to-staff areas like math, science, and special education. This often results in positions being filled by less-than-qualified individuals. Additionally, retention of highly qualified teachers is also very difficult. High turnover rates of about 41 percent among early and mid-career teachers is causing additional instability in the teaching profession that negatively affects the classroom environment.

Effective teachers directly impact student achievement. Therefore, especially at this time when rigorous standards and school-based accountability are at the forefront of school reform, teachers deserve wages that reflect the value of their profession. Until this happens, recruitment and retention issues will continue to beleaguer the teaching profession.

JOAN KUCHCINSKI

Maumee

 

State report card a flawed measuring stick

I was deeply troubled to read Ohio’s latest school report card. Maumee and Sylvania schools, each given a “C,” are no better than mediocre? Lake, Northwood, Oregon, Rossford, Springfield, and Washington Local are judged to be poor performers deserving a “D”? Of Ohio’s 600 school districts, only eight were rated “A.” Such outcomes are not remotely plausible.

The 2015-16 ratings do not provide a basis for drawing valid conclusions about local school districts. How, then, can the Ohio Department of Education avoid the shortcomings that mar its current report?

School ratings should not be reported as isolated statistics. Instead, each district’s ranking should be associated with data on median income, median home value, percent of students receiving free and reduced lunches, etc. With that frame of reference, a clear portrait of each local district would emerge. Until ODE presents the public with a more informative picture, its school report card will continue to obscure the realities facing Ohio’s schools and the children they serve.

BRUCE KNECHT

Old Stone

 

Metroparks deer must be protected

Welcome to our Metroparks. A park system by and for the experts. No deer allowed!

Why was land, now Middlegrounds Metropark, chosen in the first place with total disregard for the deer already living there? Why do the Metroparks continue with huge expansion projects, which cause significant destruction and damage to the ecosystem, yet browsing by deer is unacceptable? Browsing of deer is natural and necessary in the cycle of nature.

Deer play an essential role in maintaining natural environments within their ranges. Human interference and urban sprawl displaces deer, and natural habitats are lost. The experts cannot think beyond the word kill. Killing deer is not an effective or humane solution. The deer population will decrease after the kill, but due to the compensatory rebound effect, will likely increase greater than before. Deer populations level off naturally without human interference.

The killing of deer in our Metroparks takes away from what should be a peaceful and tranquil place for both humans and animals. I have no interest in visiting or supporting tax levies of a park system that kills deer. The principles of justice apply also to the animals with which we share the earth. The deer in our Metroparks should be protected.

DIANE CZERNIAK PARRITT

Maumee