Reader Viewpoint
Posted 3/21/03

Speak up, protect

school programs

To the Editor:

Every June the community members come out of their homes, pull up a piece of lawn, and relax with their family and friends to enjoy the floats, the old cars, the horses, and the bands of the Milaca Gateway to the North Parade. As you may know, one of the bands that marched down the street of this festival is on the chopping block. The school board intends to cut the Milaca Intermediate Marching Band entirely as part of their budget plan for the coming school year.

They were the band that everyone, even those of us that don't listen to Beethoven and have never even heard of Mozart, could appreciate. They played that song that used to play on the radio when you were a kid or, if you're younger like me, that oldie that your parents forced you to listen to in the car each morning. They took the song slow enough to march to as the soon-to-be seventh and eighth graders bounced down the street wearing their spiffy red, black, and white uniforms. As they marched past, you could always pick out at least one of the kids from the crowd.

Every June and July all one-hundred and thirty members got together for many rehearsals and anywhere from six to eight parades. Not only was this fun for them, but it's beneficial for the award winning music program. The musicians and color guard members started learning basic marching and color guard techniques, and students rehearsed with a trained music educator. Without this marching head start, our high school program couldnít possibly pull off the street maneuvering and guard routine that it does today. Also, the additional rehearsals improved their skills as musicians, which enhanced both the marching band program and the concert band program.

I am fully aware of the budget crisis at Milaca, but isn't there a different way? Instead of cutting one program entirely, couldn't an equal percentage be cut from each program? Without the support of the community, this program will not survive and no one will see them bouncing down the street next summer. Itís your community and your tax dollars, so feel free to voice your opinion. It only takes a little time and 37 cents to write a letter. If that's not your style, or you don't have the time, pick up the phone and call one of the school board members. Also, there is a public forum in the District Office Board Room on Saturday, April 5, from 9-11 a.m. The kids need you, so speak up.

Sara E. Burns

Foreston

We must learn

to work together

To the Editor:

What is the matter with us that we can't seem to learn how to live together? What we are doing as a nation reflects what we are doing as individuals. Instead of relying on one another to cope with threats to our safety, we get ourselves a gun, or a tank, or a smart bomb, and put our trust in that.

The response of the world to the dreadful event of Sept. 11 was to put its arms around our suffering country in a heartfelt sharing of our pain. We were together in the problem. We began to work together to find a solution. Those European countries we are now vilifying were active partners in the fight against terrorism. The world could have continued that partnership in dealing with Iraq if only our government would have worked as hard on smart diplomacy as it has on smart weapons.

The problem isn't only in our government, the problem is in us. Our response to threats in our communities is not to gather together to look for solutions. Our response is for each of us to buy and carry a concealed weapon. Here we are, back in the 1950s, standing in front of our fallout shelter with a rifle in our hands, making sure our family is safe and the hell with anyone else.

Legislation to legalize concealed weapons represents a failure in living together in our communities. Our government's commitment to go it alone in disarming Iraq, a commitment made in the fall of 2001, represents a failure in living together in a community of nations. We are too afraid to depend on anyone but ourselves. That's all we know. We can't seem to learn that there might be a better way.

Gary W. Fehring

Milaca

Technology is on

the cutting board

To the Editor:

Attention: Milaca area school district residents, Milaca School District public forum Monday, March 24 at 7 p.m.

Please come to the public forum and express your concerns regarding the school district's proposed "budget reductions". Now is your time to be heard. The school board won't know what you want if you don't tell them!

Did you know that three items on the reduction list will significantly affect your student's technology education? The proposed reduction is to make two full-time computer lab supervisors and one full-time computer technician each into half-time positions. This will have a definite impact on the timeliness of computer repairs and technical assistance to students and staff.

What you probably don't know is that there is currently only ONE technology coordinator, ONE computer technician and three computer lab supervisors (for the whole district-including ALC) to service 700+ computers, nine computer labs, nine network closets, one interactive cable lab, 35 network printers, and three network servers. Plus, the coordinator and technician conduct the technology training for all staff members.

With 700+ computers, the computer to technician ratio is 350:1. In the corporate environment, the standard ratio of technical support personnel per number of computers is one technician for every 50 computers.

In this era of technology based businesses, we owe it to our children to give them the best technology enhanced education available.

Tracie Gave

Parent and Milaca Public Schools Computer Technician