10/15/98
Opelika * Auburn News* THE NEWSPAPER OF EAST ALABAMA*10/15/98
Letter: Final question enrages resident
I have just returned home from the open forum on year-round school being considered by the Auburn City School system. Very good questions were asked and, for the most part, answered satisfactorily. I was enraged to the point of writing a letter to the editor when at the very end of the meeting a question was asked and Dr. Mick Martin responded.
I will paraphrase what was said: person in the audience, "If the motivating factor in considering the year-round school calendar is Auburn's 20-30 percent at risk population, aren't you ashamed to punish the whole school system and community for that small percentage?" Dr. Martin's response, "the at risk population is a motivating factor, and no, I am not ashamed to be considering this alternative."
Why aren't you ashamed, Dr. Martin? Why donÌt you seek more direct solutions to this problem? I am infuriated that the system would consider such a drastic measure for the sake of helping the small minority. Especially since year-round school alone has not been proven to help at risk children. LetÌs do the things that ARE proven to helpÛsuch as smaller class sizes, higher qualified teachers and increased per pupil expenditures. I understand Auburn is currently doing some of these things, let's do more.
I guess you, Dr. Martin, have adopted the inflammatory mindset of today's society, which is "don't try to identify and solve the problem at hand. Rather let's lump everybody together and punish them all." Unfortunately, this translates to "the easy way out."
Even my eight year old son sees through this philosophy when he asks why he may loose his summer vacation because five or six classmates aren't learning what they are being taught.
Sheila DuffieldAuburn
Letter: Parent unhappy with forum, article
In response to Tuesday's front page article about the YRS Forum by the Auburn City School District, I have two objections to the tone of the article. First of all the headline, "No heat at YRS Meeting" is very misleading. We, the parents of the students and the taxpayers, were not allowed to speak at this forum. In spite of this gag order, some parents tried to ask questions at the very end of the meeting. The reporter obviously did not stay for the entire three-hour meeting.
Secondly, the article states, "the panel ... answered audience questions." We were permitted to write questions, on pink ACS scrap paper, which were submitted to a group of ladies who culled the questions for repetition. I wrote 15 very pertinent questions, none of which were asked, let alone answered. The meeting was cut off after three hours, the bulk of which consisted of Dr. Martin and Dr. Freeman rambling on and on, dancing around the questions asked and not providing any new or compelling information.
There was no chance for us to ask follow-up questions. As the meeting drew to a close, after having forgotten to address the question of if there would be a city-wide referendum, a parent had to yell out that question again. Dr. Martin's negative response was not clarified or justified. Democracy in action this was not.
J.L. GenisAuburn