LETTER: School budget cuts no worse than anyone else

To the Telegram:

What is wrong with this picture?

There was an article Dec. 2 on the front page of the Superior Telegram: Brutal budget delivers schools blow. What is wrong with the picture drawn in that article is that everyone’s budgets, including the taxpayers, households, federal government, military, states, counties and cities have been cut.

Is the Superior school district to be exempt from cuts, as I feel the article suggests?

Yes, our children’s education is very important, and I personally have a grandson who graduated last year from Superior High School, and is now in the U.S. Air Force. I have two other grandsons who attend public schools in Superior. Both of my daughters are Superior High School graduates.

What is wrong with this picture, really, is the school district should be run like a business. After all, it does have all of the ingredients of businesses — a superintendent, business manager, secretaries, etc.

Like any business, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Super One Foods, when a directive from the higher management is given to cut inventories, supplies, labor or whatever, it is those in charge who take control and make it work. Or, they are replaced by someone who can and will. Sure, there may be a little whining, but you just do your job in the business world.

I believe strongly that a public statement on TV and that attention-seeking newspaper article on Dec. 2 went “over the edge.” To my knowledge, they were done without all (or possibly with any) of the school board members’ knowledge or their input. Are not the school board members the superintendent’s bosses?

Gov. Scott Walker was elected into office and is doing his best to cut taxes in the state for all of us; it’s his job to do so. So, Superintendent Janna Stevens, please stop your unprofessional fits, and get the job done for all of us, or maybe we need to find someone else who will.

Remember: The majority of all workers have been helping to pay for their own pension and health insurance for as long as I can remember. So, what’s wrong with the above picture?

Phil Baker,

vice chairman, Douglas County Republican Party

Tags: opinion, letters, education, money, food